Excelsior... Nation

Inder Kumar Gujral

Illiteracy is major blot
on face of India: Gujral

JALGAON, Dec 29: Illiteracy is a major blot on the face of the country and its development would be impossible as long as maximum .....more

‘PM tolerating corruption
of Jaya to remain in power’

CHENNAI, Dec 29: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of tolerating’...more

Mamata Banerjee

Mamta rules out joining Vajpayee Govt

CALCUTTA, Dec 29: Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee today ruled out joining the Vajpayee Government in the next reshuffle, asserting that there was no change in her party’s stand on the issue....more

Tele-superhero Shaktiman
fails to rescue children

JAIPUR, Dec 29: Driven by the belief that tele-superman "Shaktiman" will come to their rescue, two children fought with bows...more

BPA seeks probe into
alleged defalcation

PATNA, Dec 29: Bihar Police Association (BPA) today demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged defalcation of crores of rupees meant for strenghthening intelligence . ...more

Satish K Sareen

India using satellites
for military purposes: Sareen

NEW DELHI, Dec 29: India is using some of its satellites for military purposes and the. . ..more

J H Patel

Rains take heavy toll in Karnataka Patel weathers poll debacle

BANGALORE, Dec 29: The Janata Dal Government led by Chief Minister J H Patel weathered ...more

‘PM tolerating corruption of Jaya to remain in power’

CHENNAI, Dec 29: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today accused Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of tolerating’ the corruption committed by AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha in order to remain in power.

He told reporters here the recent statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with regard to tackling corruption had shattered his hopes that Vajpayee would uphold high standards in public life.

The PMO statement had said that while the Centre would not tolerate corruption, it would not allow witch hunting against any individual.

He also charged the BJP-led coalition with adopting contradictory stances regarding investigation of corruption cases against Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and Jayalalitha.

The Centre’s current stand that it alone had the powers to allocate cases to Special Judges in Chennai had come in handy for Jayalalitha, who was trying her level best to delay the judicial process for the past one year, he added.

Asked to comment on Attorney General Soli Sorabjee’s submission in the Supreme Court that the Centre alone had the power to allocate cases among the Special Judges, Karunanidhi said I do not want to enter into the legality of the question. It is for legal experts to examine the issue. I do not want to make any comments now as the matter is sub judice, he said.

He said the Additional Solicter General had stated in the Madras High Court that the state had powers to transfer cases. A division bench of the Madras High Court had also upheld the state’s action, he pointed out.

On the remarks of former CBI Director Jogender Singh that a minister from Tamil Nadu had forced him to register a case against Jayalalitha on the three lakh US dollar case, Karunanidhi said former Union Minister of State S R Balasubramaniam had already explained the actual position.

The Chief Minister said that Jayalalitha, during interrogation by CBI officials, had admitted she did not know from where the draft had come. She had also stated that the amount had been deposited in her personal account on the advice of her Chartered Accountant, he said. (PTI)

Mamta rules out joining Vajpayee Govt

There has been no shift in our party’s decision against joining the BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre at present, Banerjee told PTI here. She said the party was not at all thinking on this line at the moment.

Banerjee who reurned from Delhi, said she had impressed upon the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to immediately sanction the Bengal package submitted by her party for development in certain sectors in West Bengal.

She said some of her demands had already been conceded by the Centre and others including those related to the Bengal package were expected to be fulfilled shortly. (PTI)

India using satellites for military purposes: Sareen

NEW DELHI, Dec 29: India is using some of its satellites for military purposes and the country was fortunately not too far behind our neighbours on this count, Air Chief Marshal Satish K Sareen has said.

We are already doing it, the chief of air staff replied when asked about his earlier statements regarding development of the air force to air and space force.

It is easy to convert satellites from civil to military use .... Resolution of our satellites is better than what was purchased from France, he said after releasing a coffee table book on the history of the Indian Air Force entitled sentinels of the sky at the air headquarters last evening.

Asked about the range of these satellites, he said our requirement is not just to know about our neighbours. We have to consider everyone as our friend and prepare for the deterrent value and be prepared for that .... Fortunately we are not too far behind our neighbours. So there is nothing to fear.

We are integrating the information (from satellites) with our inputs .... It has helped a lot in upping our abilities, Sareen said.

Referring to the experience of allied forces during 1991 gulf war vis-a-vis information received from spy satellites, he said they got so much information that it was difficult for them to sift it and took a lot of time to decide what to keep and what not to.

To a question on Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), he said a decision was expected within the next two months.

Asked about his achievements as the Air Chief, Sareen said I have done more than what I had listed. Lot of things were done on modernisation and some of them are in the pipeline. IAF is moving in the right direction at the right pace.

Regarding the glossy book, he said it includes IAF’s history and its growth from the wapitis to the Sukhois and the most modern automated air traffic control system.

Through exquisitely arranged photographs including some aerial shots, the book provides glimpses into the full spectrum of IAF operations ranging from the fighter force, transport and helicopter operations including those in aid of civil power. The book also has a separate chapter on operations in Siachen aptly titled where no eagles dare. (PTI)

Rains take heavy toll in Karnataka
Patel weathers poll debacle

BANGALORE, Dec 29: The Janata Dal Government led by Chief Minister J H Patel weathered intermittent dissidence and poll debacle but unprecedented rains took a heavy toll of life in Karanataka in the passing year.

The state sought to remain in the vanguard of the information technology revolution by hosting the prestigious "IT Com." Amid criticism that lack of initative was making leading software companies set up shop in neighbouring states.

Another international show that seems set to be a biennial feature was the "Aero India" held on the outskirts of the city which attracted the cream of the aviation sector despite sanctions imposed by the United States and some others in the wake of the nuclear tests in May.

The unprecedented rains that claimed over 300 lives also saw a 127-year-old record of highest rainfall in a year being washed away in the city. The downpour caused severe damage to the crops and a spate of farmers suicides following crop failure gave the opposition a venue to vent its ire against the Government.

The beleaguered Mr Patel had his hands full coping with dissidence in the ruling party. He may go down in history as the only Chief Minister to seek vote of confidence in the Assembly twice within eleven months despite enjoying a majority.

Mr Patel sought and won a confidence vote after three of his Cabinet colleagues resigned soon after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections in January. Even as the year was drawing to a close, he sought another vote in a bid to weather a strom brewing the Janata Dal. On both occasions, he was able to carry the dissidents alongwith him inside the House.

At one point, Mr Patel’s position seemed to be precarious as the dissidents rallied round former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. But the Chief Minister decided to take the bull by its horns and went on the offensive. His bold moves unnerved the dissidents and finally both camps decided to leave the matter to party president Sharad Yadav. The issue is still hanging fire with Mr Yadav yet to announce his decision.

The year opened for the ruling party on an inauspicious note. The Janata Dal bit the dust as only three of its candidates, including Mr Deve Gowda emerging as the winners in the 28 seats contested. Among those who fell by the wayside were ministers C Byre Gowda, Thippeswamy, Neelappa Shivananavar and V Somanna.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and Lok Shakti, though having dilly dallied till the last on electoral adjustments managed to win 16 seats with the former adding seven more to its tally in the previous elections. For the Lok Shakti, the nascent party of Mr Ramakrishna Hegde who subsequently became Commerce Minister in the Vajpayee Cabinet, it was a dream electoral debut as three of its members romped home to victory. They included two former ministers, Ajay Kumar Sarnaik and Oimesh Jigajinagi, who had left the Janata Dal.

The Congress succeeded in winning the remaining six seats though its stalwarts like former Union Minister B Shankaranand and former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily being swept away.

To add to the cup of woes for the Dal, former Union Textiles Minister R L Jalappa quit the party and amanged to win the Lok Sabha polls on Congress ticket. The party continued to suffer drain for the first six months as the Lok Shakti managed to woo away its members.

The year also saw Mr Patel expanding his Cabinet twice and repeatedly assuring that the would reconstitute his ministry to keep the dissidents at bay. In April, he inducted B Somashekar and D Manjunath. Two months later, he undertook another expansion with Basavaraj Patil Attur and A B Patil being made Cabinet Ministers and H Shivappa, M C Managoli, Nagappa Saloni and Jaywant as Minister of State.

In a rare move, the Chief Minister wrote to Speaker Ramesh Kumar to initiate action against three ministers who had openly aligned with the Lok Shakti. But two of them got elected to the Lok Sabha, while Mr Deshpande continued to sit with the Janata Dal members in the Assembly.

On the law and order front, the state was virtually free rom major incidents, however, the record was marred by large-scale violence and firing in Sira in Tumkur district when prices of groundnut crashed in the local market. The Government has ordered a judicial inquiry and also constituted a house committee to probe the incident.

River disputes continued to remain as contentious as ever. Though a reasonable solution seems to have been found for Cauvery, Almatti continues to be problmataic and involved in legal battle. Copious rains pushed the cauvery issue to be background.

The elusive Forest Bandidt Veerappan continuted to play hide and seek as the authorities failed to nab the sandalwood smuggler and poacher.

The Karnataka Government also decided to takeover the Mysore palace through a bill. Though President K R Narayanan gave his assent to the Bill, the delay on the part of the Centre to return it led to a war of words between the State and the Union Governments.

The state is to takeover the mysore palace alongwith its aretefacts and maintain the same after paying a compensation of Rs 32 crore to the scion of the Mysore royal family.

The Centre and State Governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on setting up a multi-crore sea Bird Naval project near Karwar for which the foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the mid 1980s.

Multinationals continued to face opposition as the Karnataka Rajya Ryota Sangha attacked the field trial polots of monsanto in some parts of the state.

Karnataka films got back into the reckoning on the national scene with "Thai Saheba" bagging the golden lotus this year.

Several noted personaities passed away including literary giants like Subramanyaraje URS, popularly known by his pen name Chandurange. Octogenerian film actress Kamalabai, who made a name for herself in silent movies died after prolonged illness. In the music field, well-known vocalist Neelamba Kadambi also passed away.

It was a good year for sports as Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy for the fifth time. It also regained the Irani trophy even as five of its players found slots in the national squad. Aparna Popat emerged as the national swimming champion and the state retained its overall championship title. Bangalore also hoted the pre-Asian football championships. (UNI)