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Malaviya NEW DELHI, Dec 25: Union Home Minister L K Advani today paid floral tributes at the portrait of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya .....more ‘Talk of stepping NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The talk of stepping into the 21st century is a Western concept reflecting a distorted sense of . ....more NEW DELHI, Dec 25: President K R Narayanan and Vice-President Krishan Kant were prominent among those who greeted Prime Minister....more Naxalite outfit responds RAIPUR,
Dec 25: The
People’s War Group (PWG), a Naxalite outfit
operating in Madhya ..more NEW DELHI, Dec 25: When Mr P M Sayeed arrived in Lakshwadeep islands today, ..more |
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AIADMK demands probe into misdeeds of
DMK, NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The controversy over the constitution of Special Courts to try Jayalalitha hotted up today with AIADMK MPs..more Kalyan Singh decides to scrap districts formed by Mayawati NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The Kalyan Singh Government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to scrap some of the new districts created ....more Defence Ministry expresses reservation on Bhagwat’s views NEW
DELHI, Dec 25: With unprecedented controversy over
the appointment of Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS)
continuing, official...more |
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NEW DELHI, Dec 25: Union Home Minister L K Advani today paid floral tributes at the portrait of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya in the Central Hall of Parliament on the Educationist’s 137th birth anniversary. Among the dignitaries who joined the Home Minister were Members of Parliament Madan Lal Khurana and Virendra Verma and former MPs Inderjit, S P Malaviya and R C Vikal, an official release said here today. Copies of a booklet containing a profile of Pandit Malaviya, brought out both in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on the occasion, was also presented to those present. (UNI) |
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‘Talk of stepping into 21st century- a Western concept’ NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The talk of stepping into the 21st century is a Western concept reflecting a distorted sense of history and has nothing to do with India, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said today. Twenty first century Sey Hume Kya Lena Dena Gae?(what have we to do with the 21st century?). Our history and tradition is much older than the intellectual giants in the West could even think, Joshi said addressing the Madan Mohan Malaviya Memorial lecture here organised on the occasion of Malviya’s 137th birth anniversary. Ridiculing the hype over the so called stepping into the 21st century, the minister asked is it not marching backward instead of moving ahead?...We are running after a Western civilization which is itself afflicted with myriad problems. He was also critical of the distorted sense of history in the country because of which babar has become history and Lord Ram a myth. Even curriculum text books including those prescribed by National Council of Education and Research Training (NCERT) reflect a western mypopic mindset, he said. I do not want this forum to debate on those issues as I have already begun a brainstorming exercise on these lines elsewhere, the minister said. L M Singhvi, former diplomat and MP, was the main speaker at the function organised by ‘Mahamana Malaviya Mission’. (PTI) NEW DELHI, Dec 25: President K R Narayanan and Vice-President Krishan Kant were prominent among those who greeted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 75th birthday today. A beaming Mr Vajpayee, clad in dhoti, kurta and woolen waist coat, was presented a bouquet by President Narayanan and wife Usha. Soon, Vice-President Krishan Kant and Ms Krishan Kant joined them. Home Minister L K Advani, Industry Minister Sikander Bakht, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana also called on the Prime Minister to greet him. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar telephoned Mr Vajpayee to convey birthday greetings. The Prime Minister distributed blankets to the poor who had assembled at his residence on the occasion. Among others to call on Mr Vajpayee were Dr Manmohan Singh, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, former Prime Minister I K Gujral, BJP national president Kushabhau Thakre and Archbishop Alan de Lastic. A group of children from Father Angel’s School sang a birthday song and wished Mr Vajpayee a Merry Christmas. Inmates of the National Federation of the Blind and Arya Anathalaya also greeted the Prime Minister. The unending stream of visitors at the Prime Minister’s residence included several members of Parliament, members of BJP Mahila Morcha, Ms Jayaprada, Akali delegation led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Yerran Naidu, leader of the TDP parliamentary party. Later, the Prime Minister addressed a "swabhiman march" at the Vijya Chowk and accepted feliciations from the Delhi Citizens’ Association. Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel launched three innovative programmes on this occasion—Vajpayee Youth Self Employment, Vajpayee City Development and Vajpayee Excellence Award. Tamil Nadu Governor Fathima Beevi and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh also conveyed their greetings to Mr Vajpayee. Panthers Party president Bhim Singh presented Iraqi dates to the Prime Minister on the occasion. He presented the Iraqi dates also to Congress president Sonia Gandhi while greeting her on the occasion of Christmas. In Chennai, BJP workers participated in special prayers held at 75 temples to mark the occasion. Poor-feeding, common feasts and blood donation camps were also organised at several placed. A Tiruchirapalli report said special prayers were held at the famous Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam and a church in which BJP volunteers led by Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam participated. (UNI) |
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Naxalite outfit responds to CM’s offer for talks RAIPUR, Dec 25: The People’s War Group (PWG), a Naxalite outfit operating in Madhya Pradesh, has responded to State Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s offer for talks saying, "we too are ready for talks, on certain conditions." The Group made it clear that the issue of talks should be raised only after a democratic atmosphere was created in all districts and the long-suppressed demands of the people were met. The Naxalites preparedness for talks was made public through a statement issued by Mr Bhupati, secretary, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the P W G. Mr Singh, after assuming office for a second term, had offered to hold talks with Naxalites during his visit here. Mr Bhupati lamented that the Chief Minister had never responded to the statements of the Naxalites regarding his offer of talks. Notwithstanding the Chief Minister’s offer, Mr Bhupati alleged that the police had intensified their repression in Dantewada, Bastar, Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Balaghat districts. Price rise, poverty, unemployment and atrocities on women and other weaker sections of society were increasing day by day, he added. Mr Bhupati warned that the people would not remain tolerant if the State Government failed in resolving their fundamental problems. Regarding Mr Digvijay Singh’s statement that the Naxalite problem was not merely a law and order problem but also a socio-political and economic problem, Mr Bhupati said Mr Singh’s remark was a "politican’s suave interpretation of police perception which considered issue as a mere law and order problem." Notwithstanding the offer for talks, he said, the police had intensified their "repression" in Dantewada, Bastar, Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Balaghat districts. He alleged that in Dantewada district in particular, adivasi peasantry was being arrested on a massive scale and activists of revolutionary mass organisations were being subjected to inhuman tortures. He claimed that to alienate the tribals from the "revolutionary path", they were being pressurised to surrender and their properties were also being destroyed or plundered. Police atrocities on women were on the rise and even some people’s representatives and Government employees were being targeted by police repression, he added. Mr Bhupati said that ‘Jan Jagaran’launched by Congress leader Mahendra Karma had police backing and was aimed at combing the forests to apprehend "revolutionaries". He said that Mr Digvijay Singh wanted to organise the state police force on the Andhra Pradesh pattern and had sought central assistance of Rs 8 crore for this purpose during his recent meetings with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani. The PWG leader said the Naxalites were fighting for the "establishment of a genuine people’s democracy as at present ninety per cent people had been denied real democratic rights". Mr Bhupati charged that even nominal democratic rights were being curtailed, with the Indian ruling class surrendering the country before imperialistist financial institutions in the name of globalisation and privatisation. Even Mr Digvijay Singh had approached the world bank for an aid of Rs 100 crore for road construction work in the state, he said. (UNI) |
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Sayeed on visit to Lakshwadeep islands NEW DELHI, Dec 25: When Mr P M Sayeed arrived in Lakshwadeep islands today, he was welcomed not merely as their representative in the Lok Sabha but also as Deputy Speaker of the House. Mr Sayeed is on his first visit to the islands, which he represents in the House, since he was elected as the consensus candidate to the office of Deputy Speaker. During the week-long visit which is in response to the sentiments expressed by his electorate, Mr Sayeed will be visiting all the ten islands in archipelago, according to information received by his office here. The ten islands are Agati, Kavaratti, Amini, Kadmath, Minicoy, Kiltan, Bitra, Chetlet, Kalpeni, and Androth. (UNI) |
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AIADMK demands probe into
misdeeds of DMK, NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The controversy over the constitution of Special Courts to try Jayalalitha hotted up today with AIADMK MPs urging President to dismiss Karunanidhi Government for usurping the powers of the Centre and demanding a thorough probe into the corruption and misdeeds of DMK and TMC leaders. In a memorandum to President K R Narayanan they sought a full-scale investigation into the corruption and misdeeds of TMC leader G K Moopanar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, their relatives as also other DMK and TMC leaders. The memorandum signed by AIADMK members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was submitted by Union Minister M Thambi Durai to an official of Rashtrapati Bhavan, two days after Moopanar wrote to the President justifying the DMK Government’s decision to set up Special Courts to try corruption cases against Jayalalith Urging the President to direct the Centre to dismiss the Tamil Nadu Government, the AIADMK MPs said the TMC was attempting to justify the usurpation of power of the Central Government by the State Government. The DMK Government is using the TMC to shield itself and to fire from their shoulder in attempting to justify the usurpation of the exclusive power of the Centre, they said. In the memorandum, the AIADMK MPs including Union Ministers Thambi Durai and K M R Janarthanan charged the TMC leader with attempting to mislead the President. Not only has the correct factual position been suppressed, but an attempt has been made to place wrong and misleading facts before you, they said. Quoting extensively from the application filed by the centre before Supreme Court on the issue, they said that in the application the Central Government had abunantly made it clear that a power which could have been exercised by the Centre, had been exercised by the state while issuing the notification on setting up the Special Courts in Chennai. They told the President that deliberate and motivated publicity was being given to certain vindictive criminal prosecution launched by the DMK Government against several AIADMK leaders and a systematic campaign launched by DMK and TMC leaders to vitiate the atmosphere for a fair trial. The AIADMK MPs said the DMK and TMC made concerted attempts to foist false cases against AIADMK leaders who held various offices during the time the party was in power from 1991 to 1996. (PTI) |
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