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| BJP lowering prestige of Governor’s office: Cong JAIPUR, Mar 23: Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Governor Baliram Bhagat....more
Oppn
charged BANGLORE, Mar 23: The BJP today charged the opposition with being "most irresponsible"....more Counter
intelligence HYDERABAD, Mar 23: Andhra Pradesh Government has set up a counter intelligence cell to monitor....more |
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BJP-Samata bandh call evokes partial response PATNA, Mar 23: The dawn-to-dusk state-wide bandh called today..more 5300 abnormal AGARTALA, Mar 23: About 5300 abnormal deaths had been registered ....more AIADMK
demands CHENNAI, Mar 23: The All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) today.....more Enquiries on
against LUCKNOW, Mar 23: The Uttar Pradesh Government’s....more NEW DELHI, Mar 23: The Supreme Court has directed the....more |
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BJP lowering prestige of Governor’s office: Cong JAIPUR, Mar 23: Senior Congress leader and former Rajasthan Governor Baliram Bhagat has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party Government at the Centre was responsible for lowering the prestige of the Governor’s office in the states by appointing as governors persons who created constitutional hurdles in the proper functioning of the state governments. In an exclusive interview to UNI, Mr Bhagat, who was Governor of Rajasthan for five and a half years, said that in the last one year of BJP rule at the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party had tried to create a constitutional crisis in all such states where BJP did not have its Government. Referred to the Bihar issue in this context, Mr Bhagat, who arrived here on a two-day visit, maintained that Jehanabad district in that state had been witnessing caste and class conflicts for the last hundred years. "Such a localised issue cannot be termed as a breakdown of law and order in the state which was why the President, in the first instance, had refused to give consent to President rule recommended by Vajpayee Government", Mr Bhagat said. "The second time the Governor broke all constitutional norms to prove that the Jehanabad killings were a complete breakdown of law and order in Bihar. Though the President gave his assent this time, the President’s rule in the state did not last long", he added. The former Rajasthan Governor justified the Congress decision not to support the BJP decision for President rule in Bihar as "the Bihar Governor had made statements which smacked of prejudice". Mr Bhagat said in Bihar the Governor had declared that he was first and foremost a member of the party and then the Governor. "All this lowers the image of this august constitutional offices and gives support to the Sarkaria Commission recommendations that non-political personalities should be appointed Governors,"he said. He pointed out that the Governor in Madhya Pradesh gave approval for prosecution of the two ministers to the Lokayukta despite the Digvijay Singh Government rejecting it. He said that the RSS factor in the governance of BJP at the Centre had been creating hurdles for state governments which were non-BJP. Mr Bhagat asserted that the Congress had cooperated with the BJP Government on issues which were in the interest of the country’s progress. "The Patient Bill and the Insurance Bill are clear proofs of the honest intentions of the Congress party in extending cooperation to the Government,"he said. But wherever the ulterior political motive of the BJP had been clear, the Congress had opposed it, he added. In reply to another question, Mr Bhagat expressed confidence that the Congress would once again re-emerge with a majority in Maharashtra and other states which were scheduled to hold assembly elections soon. Mr Bhagat said that poll victory in Rajasthan was due to the Congress becoming united under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the those sections of the society who were being victimised by the BJP returning to the Congress fold. Mr.Bhagat pointed out that in the last one year the only efforts made by the Vajpayee Government had been to keep its alliance partners happy. All it energy and, in fact, a major portion of the Central Budget had been allocated to Mamta, Samta and Jayalalitha to keep them happy and remain in power, he said. (UNI) |
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Oppn charged with being ‘most irresponsible’ BANGLORE, Mar 23: The BJP today charged the opposition with being "most irresponsible", having nothing concrete to offer. The opposition was also "frustrated" that the Vajpayee Government was not falling, BJP general secretary Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here. "The opposition has run out of issues. The Congress, Janata Dal and the left are frustrated as the BJP-led Government is not going", Naidu said. He said Office Memorandums (OMs) regarding denying reservation in promotions for SC and ST employees were issued when the United Front Government led by I K Gujral was in power in 1997. Referring to generation of heat over the issue in parliament last week, Naidu said: "How can you blame BJP for your failures? it is a great hypocrisy. It’s the doublespeak of the Congress, Janata Dal and the left". (PTI) |
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Counter intelligence cell to monitor ISI activities HYDERABAD, Mar 23: Andhra Pradesh Government has set up a counter intelligence cell to monitor the movements and activities of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the state, Home Minister A Madhava Reddy told the Assembly today. Replying to supplementaries, Reddy said, 47 persons, including three Pakistani nationals, were arrested so far in connection with ISI-related activities in the state. Twentyfive of the arrested hailed from the state capital, while the rest belonged to various states including Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Naidu, he said. Denying that the state capital was being used as a base for ISI activities, the minister said the newly formed counter intelligence cell would deal with ISI and other anti-national activities in the state. He also brushed aside the allegation that the Coimbatore blasts were masterminded in this city and the agents hoodwinked the state police for a long time. Earlier, Bal Reddy (BJP) accused the state police of inefficiency in tackling ISI activities. We were in the dark until Delhi Police swooped down on the state capital to arrest a Pakistani national operating from here, he said. (PTI) |
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BJP-Samata bandh call evokes partial response PATNA, Mar 23: The dawn-to-dusk state-wide bandh called today by the BJP-Samata combine to demand immediate resignation of the Rabri Devi Ministry over the Senari carnage that left 34 dead evoked a partial response, an official spokesman said her. Police arrested 500 bandh supporters trying to enforce the shutdown in different parts of the state, the spokesman said, adding no untoward incident had been reported so far. BJP state president Nand Kishore Yadav, Samata Party chief Raghunath Jha, opposition leader in the State Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi, local MP C D Thakur and the lone RJP Lok Sabha member Anand Mohan were among those taken into custody. While attendance in the State Government’s offices was normal, shops and business establishments remained closed in major towns, including Gaya, Muzafferpur, Bhagalpur, Gopalgunj and Siwan, he said. Banks, however, transacted normal business. Private operators suspended bus services throughout the state, while transport services ran with heavy security, he said, adding schools and educational institutions remained closed. The Janata Dal has also supported the call to protest the Senari killing. Meanwhile, the State Assembly was adjourned twice as the BJP and Samata legislators demanded immediate resignation of the Rabri Devi ministry. According to Eastern Railway sources, train services were reported to be ‘normal’ though BJP-Samata activists tried to sit on dharna on tracks at a few places. BJP Lok Sabha member from Bhagalpur Prabhash Chandra Tiwari along with 60 supporters were arrested when they attempted to block movement of trains at Bhagalpur railway station, official sources said. (PTI) |
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5300 abnormal deaths in Tripura AGARTALA, Mar 23: About 5300 abnormal deaths had been registered in Tripura between April 1993 and last month. Disclosing this in the State Assembly yesterday State Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, while replying to a question, said the Sadar sub division topped the list with 1301 abnormal deaths. During this period 328 incidents of rape, 385 incidents of atrocities on women, 17 cases of house wife burning, 27 incidents of murder of housewives and 35 incidents of injury had occurred in the state, the Chief Minister told the House. Mr Sarkar said since January One, 1992 till January 31 last, as many as 908 tribals and nontribals were killed in militant violence. Of them, 563 were nontribals and 345 tribals. The Chief Minister said the State Government had identified 80 militants in the state on whom financial rewards ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh had been announced. The Chief Minister in his written replies gave name and address of these identified rebels. Till February 28, the State Government had arrested nine of the 80 identified militants, the Chief Minister added. Mr Sarkar informed the House that at present two militant outfits—All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)—were active in the state. The ATTF has two associate organisations while the NLFT has nine associate groups. The total members of these outfits are estimated between 1045 to 1272, the Chief Minister said. Mr Sarkar, who holds the home portfolio, said the State Government had initiated a fourteen-pronged action to curb militancy in the state. These included banning of ATTF and NLFT, promulgation of Disturbed Areas Act in 27 police stations areas, deployment of the Army, Assam Rifles and CRPF to intensify the counter insurgency operations and strengthening of state intelligence units. The Chief Minister told the House that since April, 1993, 5437 militants had surrendered to the Government responding to the State Government’s appeal. The State Government had so far spent Rs 8.38 crore to provide financial assistance and other promised facilities to surrendered militants, the Chief Minister said adding that during that period the centre had sanctioned Rs 2.38 crore to rehabilitate the surrendered militants. Mr Sarkar said since March last year 189 were killed, 144 people injured and 468 kidnapped by militants. 395 attacks were carried out by tribal guerillas during this period. During that period security forces had arrested 271 militants and recovered huge quantities of arms and ammunition from them. Government jobs had been provided to 95 people whose family members were killed by militants since March last year. (UNI) |
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Enquiries on against 39 IAS officers LUCKNOW, Mar 23: The Uttar Pradesh Government’s admission that Vigilance enquiries against 39 IAS officers were still pending caused a furore in the State Assembly today. Replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour, Excise Minister Surya Pratap Bhahi said the Government had issued directives to the concerned departments to complete the enquiries, pending since 1995, by June next. The Government also admitted that the IAS officers, who were being enquired into, were holding important posts like principal secretaries, divisional commissioners and district magistrates. Earlier, raising the issue, Samajwadi Party (SP) member Ram Autar Shakya alleged that the Government, instead of withholding promotion of these officers, had rewarded them with plum postings. Senior Congress leader Jagdambika Pal charged the Government with misleading the house by not revealing the dates on which the Government had received the enquiry reports against some of the officers. (PTI) NEW DELHI, Mar 23: The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Medical Health (DGMH) to pay within two months Rs One lakh to a retired medical officer as interest for inordinate delay in payment of retirement benefits. The direction was issued a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand, Mr Justice M J Rao and Mr Justice N Santosh Hegde while disposing of a write petition by the Dr Uma Agrawal. "The case before us is a clear example of departmental delay which is not excusable. The petitioner retired on April 30 1993 and it was only after February 12 1996 when an interim order was passed by this court that the State Government and the health authorities woke up and started sorting out the greviance by sending messages to various places where the petitioner had worked. Such an exercise should have started at least in 1991, two years before her retirement. The amounts due to the petitioner were computed and the payments were made only in 1997-98," the judges observed. They therefore held that this was a fit case for awarding the interest to be paid by the authorities. (UNI) |
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