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MUMBAI, May 23: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar is ....more BJP to fight polls on HYDERABAD, May 23: BJP will fight the coming Lok Sabha ....more
Pranab rules out NEW DELHI, May 23: Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today ruled...more
BJP has no plans to invite any splinter group of Cong: Naidu HYDERABAD, May 23: The BJP has no plans to invite any splinter group of Congress. ..more |
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‘Abducted’
lawyer NEW DELHI, May 23: An advocate, who was allegedly ‘abducted’ by the Uttar Pradesh police, was produced before Delhi High Court yesterday after the court had ...more
Developments in Cong BANGALORE, May 23: The developments in the Congress would not only lead to its vertical split, but also throw up new equations and alignments, ..more
‘Gandhi be taught as a compulsory subject’ NEW DELHI, May 23: Mahatma Gandhi might never have imagined that a time would come when academicians...more Akalis raise banner KARNAL (Haryana), May 23: Taking a cue from the Delhi Akali leaders, a section of Akalis from Haryana today raised a banner of revolt against their parent party chief ...more |
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MUMBAI, May 23: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar is meeting members of the State Congress Legislature Party to expand his support base and chalk out a plan of action in the changed political scenario after his expulsion from the Congress. The meeting which began around noon today at the residence of leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council Chhagan Bhujbal was attended by about 40 legislators. Prominent among the MLAs at the meeting include Dr Padamsinh Patil, Ajit Pawar, Digvijay Khanvilkar, Shravan Parate, Narayan Pawar, Dilip Valse-Patil, Madhavrao Kinhalkar, Shankarrao Kolhe, Bhanudas Murkute, Ashok Dhatrak, Vikramsinh Patankar, Popatrao Gawade, Tejaswini Jadhav, Pushpatai Hiray, Babanrao Pachpute, Kushal Bopche, Laxmanrao Dhoble, Babasaheb Kupekar, Satish Patil, Shivram Jhole and Deputy Speaker in the State Assembly Sharad Tasare. Ten members in the Legislative Council are also attending the meeting. They include leader of the opposition Chhagan Bhujbal, Vijay Sawant, Vidya Belose, Arun Mehta (Ind), Vinayak Mete (Maratha Mahasangh), Kamalkishore Kadam, Dr Hirani, Avinash Naik, Vasant Chavan, Krishnarao Bhegde. According to sources, other Congressmen who have pledged support to Mr Pawar are Mr Praveen Bhosale, who could not attend the meeting owing to ill health, Arun Gujarathi has faxed his letter of support to Mr Pawar, R R Patil is in Kashmir while leader of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly Madhukarrao Pichad is in Kerala and both have supported Mr Pawar. As the first fallout to the expulsion of Mr Pawar from the Congress, members of the dissolved Lok Sabha — former Chief Minister Sudhakarrao Naik, senior Congress leader from Wardha Datta Meghe, Sadashivrao Mandlik have resigned from the primary membership of the party while former State Minister Arun Divekar has also resigned from the Congress and joined the Pawar Bandwagon. Member of the Legislative Council and party spokesperson Vasant Chavan has resigned from the post of spokesperson and has announced his support for Mr Pawar. (UNI) |
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BJP to fight polls on positive note: Naidu HYDERABAD, May 23: BJP will fight the coming Lok Sabha elections on positive issues drawing a contrast with Congress on various topics, including leadership and governance, party general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu has said. Though nationality of a person to attain the highest public office still remains a debatable point, it will be one of the many issues in our campaign, Naidu told reporters here. BJP would focus on the contrast between the ability, experience and acceptance of the leader and track record of governance between Congress and BJP, he said. While Vajpayee is accepted by all our partners in the newly formed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Congress is deep in dispute on the leadership issue. Our achievements of 13-month rule in contrast to the 45-year Congress rule will be placed before the people to judge, he said. The party, however, was of the opinion that the posts of President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice should be held by persons of Indian origin, he said. Naidu evaded a direct reply when asked if this would be mentioned in their election manifesto. We want a national debate on the issue, not a referendum, he said. (PTI) |
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Pranab rules out split in Congress NEW DELHI, May 23: Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee today ruled out a split in the party following the expulsion of rebel leaders Sharad Pawar and two others and dismissed Pawar’s charge that party president Sonia Gandhi was surrounded by a coterie. Reacting to Pawar’s charge made in Pune yesterday, he dismissed the allegations that the coterie was running the party affairs and said ‘’a coterie is good once I am in. It is condemnable when I am out’’. He told reporters that the party leaders and workers did not agree with the issue raised by the expelled leaders as Gandhi was elected by the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) to head the alternative Government before she went to President K R Narayanan after the fall of the Vajpayee Government. Pawar, he said, had on many occasions come out in support of Gandhi as Prime Minister, saying she was the natural choice for the post. He said things would have been different if the three expelled leaders would have just demanded for a discussion on the issue of foreign origin but they went beyond and the matter was before the people and media. Mukherjee said it was for the people to decide as to who should be the Prime Minister as it was they who choose MPs who elect the Prime Minister. The issue of foreign origin was even discussed by the constituent Assembly which had decided that there should not not be any discrimination between two citizens of the country. Mukherjee said if their demand for debarring an Indian citizen of foreign origin was accepted then no person in Sikkim and Goa born before 1974 and 1961 would be able to hold high offices. (PTI) |
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BJP has no plans to invite
any HYDERABAD, May 23: The BJP has no plans to invite any splinter group of Congress into its National Democratic Alliance (NDA), party general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu said today. Without taking any names, Naidu said "we have no proposal to align with any breakaway group of Congress and NDA is capable of winning the ensuing Lok Sabha elections on its own under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee". Asked if the expelled Congress leader Sharad Pawar had shown any interest in joining NDA, Naidu told reporters here "as far as BJP is concerned we are not expecting any such proposal nor do we want any tie-up with the new splinter group." With regard to Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu said, "we welcome any party that is willing to support the leadership of Vajpayee", but asserted there was no discussion between the two parties on the issue as of now. "Our state cadre has been advised to prepare for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on our own without giving much thought for tie-ups and seat adjustments", he said, adding negotiations would take place whenever necessary. Brushing aside the reported remarks of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banarjee showering praise on Pawar, Naidu said "Mamata’s party had expressed faith in the leadership of Vajpayee and is with NDA". (PTI) |
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‘Abducted’ lawyer produced in court NEW DELHI, May 23: An advocate, who was allegedly ‘abducted’ by the Uttar Pradesh police, was produced before Delhi High Court yesterday after the court had directed the up police and their counterpart in Delhi to do so within 24 hours. The advocate, Zakir Raza, was produced before a Division Bench comprising Justice Usha Mehra and Justice Madan B. Lokur on the habeas corpus petition filed by his friend advocate Shailender Yadav for his production in the court. The petition feared that use of third degree cannot be ruled out since the police were known for their brutality and have a history of implicating the innocent to abuse of administration of law. It alleged that the UP and Delhi police have acted against the established procedure of law in arresting the advocate and there was a reason to believe that he may be fastened in any criminal case to justify the illegality. The petitioner said the respondents have committed grave crime by encroaching the right to life with human dignity and have acted in contravention of articles 14, 19, 21 and 22 of the constitution. The police failed to discharge their respective statutory duty by not complying with the procedures laid down in the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.P.C.). Raza was picked up by up police from his residence in the early hours of May 21 and was taken to Sambhalpur. The petition alleged that the police had not disclosed their identities and details of the ground of the arrest and detention even after a lot of persuation by the family members of the advocate. Immediately thereafter, Mr Yadav moved the petition in the High Court which issued show cause notices to the two police and directed them to produce Raza within 24 hours. (UNI) |
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‘Gandhi be taught as a compulsory subject’ NEW DELHI, May 23: Mahatma Gandhi might never have imagined that a time would come when academicians and activists would spin out to propagate his life’s ideals and philosophy. "My life is my message," were the words of the Father of the Nation. Concerned Gandhians, Directors of Gandhi Bhawans, Museums and Vice-Chancellors debated for two days on a Gandhian agenda and thrust in education in the new millennium. In his keynote address, Dr. G.D. Sharma, Secretary, University Grants Commission, said that Gandhi never desired to be projected and to comprehend Gandhi we should desist from aping him blindly but critically evaluate his deeds and only then propagate his philosophy to the younger generation. He supported his view by providing the example of a noted economist who had been initially criticised but gained staunch followers once he was understood. Prof. K.K. Mukherjee observed, "being a Bengali, I am a follower of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and naturally hated Gandhi. But only recently after reading Gandhi I realised my mistake. People want to follow him but do not want to be called Gandhians." Most speakers agreed that there were no employment opportunities for researchers working on Gandhi and non-availability of any other subject for their thesis forced them to opt for him. Dr. N. Radhakrishnan, Director, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Smiti, Rajghat, said academicians were against any revolutionary change as it did not conform to their vision. This line of thinking made very few Vice-Chancellors approve Gandhian studies in their universities. He suggested that Gandhi be taught as a compulsory subject at school, college and university-level and textbooks be made available so that the younger generation did not ask, "which Gandhi?" Speakers deplored the fact that Gandhi was more understood and revered by foreigners than by his own countrymen. "We must come together to combat social evils and get the work divided while doing our respective duties and maintaining the respective identities of our institutions and organisations," said Dr. Radhakrishnan. The discussion concluded with the approval of a resolution that the University Grants Commission, Non-Governmental Organisations, Gandhi Nidhi and other Gandhian institutions would pool their efforts to propagate and disseminate values and teachings among youngsters, the director said. Many also deplored the fact that sufficient literature was not available to interested readers in the country’s remote areas. The seminar, in which over 30 prominent Gandhians participated, was organised by the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Smiti. The Smiti went hi-tech with the inauguration yesterday of an internet site by Dr. Radhakrishnan. Interested persons may access the site at mkgandhi del2.Vsnl.Net.In. (UNI)
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Akalis raise banner of revolt in Haryana KARNAL (Haryana), May 23: Taking a cue from the Delhi Akali leaders, a section of Akalis from Haryana today raised a banner of revolt against their parent party chief Prakash Singh Badal and floated a state level political party, severing relations with the Shiromani Akali Dal. A gathering of state Akali leaders here formally announced the formation of Haryana state Akali Dal on the lines of Delhi State Akali Dal floated by the Tohra loyalists in the national capital a few weeks ago. The controversy over the removal of Bhai Ranjit Singh as the Akali Takht Jathedar which divided the Delhi Akali leaders into two groups, was also projected as a key issue behind the formation of a new party. The formal resolutions adopted by the gathering lashed out at Mr Badal describing him as a "renegade" of the supreme sikh institution of the Akal Takht for attempting to use it as a political instrument for his vested interest. They rejected pro-Badal SGPC nominated Jathedar Giani Puran Singh as the chief of the temporal seat and announced that Bhai Ranjit Singh is the real Jathedar of the Takht. The breakaway leaders condemned the house arrest of Bhai Ranjit Singh at his residence in Amritsar a few days ago and described it as an expression of blind power by Mr Badal. The gathering also rejected the expulsion of former SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra from the Akali Dal and lauded his contribution to the cause of Sikh Panth. The new Akali Dal expressed full faith in the leadership of the tohra faction.Mr Tohra’s loyalists Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra and Mr Surjan Singh Thekedar were special invitees on the occasion. Five out of eleven SGPC members from Haryana besides several other state Akali leaders including Kartar Singh Takkar joined the new party. The gathering, through a resolution appealed to the sikhs to sever their social and political relations with Mr Badal and his loyalists as they being sikh themselves had violated the sikh traditions. This resolution was endorsed by five SGPC members from Haryana Bhupinder Singh Acandh, Daljit Kaur Sirsa, Tara Singh, Praduman Singh Sher Gill and Bharpur Singh and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) gen secretary Jatinder Singh Sahni, executive members Manjit Singh Greater, who along with some other Akali leaders from Delhi specially came to attend the function. Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra while assuring full support of his faction to the new State Akali Dal announced that they would now expose the "misdeeds" of the Badal Government and mobilise the people againist those who had attempted to distort the sikh institutions. He said they will break off ties with the BJP and try to forge a third front roping in the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mr Takkar, spokesman of the new Akali Dal, hailed the Bansi Lal Government for setting up Haryana Punjabi Academy and urged the Government to take required steps for promotion of Punjabi as a second language in the state. By another resolution the new party rejected the reorganisation of Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission by Badal Government. Meanwhile Ramgaria Federation of Haryana criticised Mr Badal for removal of Bhai Ranjit Singh as Jathedar of Akal Takht and announced they recognise him as real chief of the Takht.(UNI) |
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