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Gupta elected leader of LUCKNOW, Nov 11: Ram Prakash Gupta was today formally.....more
Patnaik asks Govt to NEW DELHI, Nov 11: Former Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik.....more
Badal seeks PM’s NEW DELHI, Nov 11: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash....more |
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Magic hand looses its AMRITSAR, Nov 11: Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the man, whose writ ran large in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandik Committee (SGPC) for 25 long years, was pushed against the wall in the general house meeting here yesterday.........more Serial blast accused MUMBAI, Nov 11: The prime accused in the Mumbai serial blast case.........more MUMBAI, Nov 11: Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) and Hughes....more West Bengal high on CALCUTTA, Nov 11: French Ambassador to India Claude Blanchemaison...more India, Austria to hold talks ON BOARD PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL FLIGHT, Nov 11: India and Austria will hold discussions ....more |
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Gupta elected leader of UP BJP, Kalyan resigns LUCKNOW, Nov 11: Ram Prakash Gupta was today formally elected leader of UP BJP legislature party shortly after Chief Minister Kalyan Singh resigned and proposed his name for the leadership to facilitate change of guard following the party’s debacle in Lok Sabha polls. Gupta’s name, proposed by Singh, was seconded by the Chief Minister’s detractors Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon and PWD Minister Kalraj Misra as also Irrigation Minister Om Prakash Singh and the party leader in the Legislative Council Vindhyvasini Kumar. BJP president Kushabhau Thakre and general secretary K N Govindacharya were present in the meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half. Earlier, Kalyan Singh accompanied by some of his cabinet colleagues, called on Governor Suraj Bhan and submitted his resignation. The Governor accepted the resignation and asked him to continue till alternative arrangements were made. On return from Raj Bhawan, Kalyan Singh told reporters at his official residence that he had resigned in deterence to the wishes of the Prime Minister and declined comment on the party high command’s assertion that he had himself expressed desire to relinquish charge. He left nobody in doubt about his hurt feelings by reiterating that he would not accept any post in the Union Ministry or in the party. I have requested the central leadership to let me remain an ordinary worker and it has been granted, he said. Kalyan Singh, who had assumed office on September 21, 1997, said he owed his rise in politics to the blessings of his parents and the saints and his own hard work. Striking a defiant posture, he stuck to his statement made at Ayodhya on Tuesday last that the party should not have put on back-burner the Ram Temple issue, and added that it was on my personal agenda. Refusing to offer any comment when asked whether a sustained campaign was launched to remove him from the Chief Minister’s post, he said, I do not want to create any bitterness by commenting on this matter. I too have many things to say, but I would not say anything as it would create bitterness, he said. Stating that he felt ‘happy’ and ‘relaxed’ after resigning, he said he had no Regrets’ about any of the decisions taken by him during his tenure lasting two years and 40 days. (PTI) |
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Patnaik asks Govt to formulate plan for Orissa rehabilition NEW DELHI, Nov 11: Former Orissa Chief Minister J B Patnaik today asked the Centre to formulate a comprehensive national plan for rehabilitation and reconstruction in the cyclone-ravaged districts of the state and said the devastation was a calamity for the entire nation. The Centre must realise that the state, with limited resources, is not in a position to cope with the situation and prepare a comprehensive plan of action for reconstruction of the cyclone-hit districts, he told reporters here. Terming the response of the Vajpayee Government after the cyclone as inadequate, Patnaik said the Centre may or may not declare it as a national calamity but it is a calamity for the entire nation. No state will be able to recover from destruction of such enormity on its own. Demanding constitution of a non-official coordination committee for relief and rehabilitation operations at the state level, he said such a body would ensure distribution of relief material in a planned manner and speedy rehabilitation of the over 1.5 crore affected people. Welcoming formation of a task force headed by Defence Minister George Fernandes, Patnaik said the Centre must finalise an action plan for restoration of all forms of communication, rebuilding schools and hospitals, construction of at least one lakh houses, large scale plantation and sustained assistance for resumption of agricultural activities in the affected areas. (PTI) |
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Badal seeks PM’s help to bring back Punjab residents NEW DELHI, Nov 11: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today requested Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take steps to ensure the return of Punjab residents, who were duped by unscrupulous travel agents and are now languishing in jails in Kiev, Moscow and other parts of world, to India. Badal called on Vajpayee and gave him a letter requesting him to direct concerned authorities to make appropriate arrangements for the return of these people to India at the earliest, a Punjab Government release said here. (PTI) |
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| Magic hand looses its affect as Tohra
pushed against wall AMRITSAR, Nov 11: Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the man, whose writ ran large in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandik Committee (SGPC) for 25 long years, was pushed against the wall in the general house meeting here yesterday. The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) president, bete noire of Punjab Chief Minister and ruling Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal ascended the SGPC throne in 1974. Mr Tohra would conduct the proceedings of the general house in a manner befitting that of a dictator. He would wave his hand just once, akin to the magic wand of cindrella, making a effect on all those present at the venue of the general house meeting. "Oye Bai Ja, Teri Gal Sun Lai" (sit down your point has been heard) Mr Tohra would often tell members who wanted to make a point or protest about any decision taken by the SGPC executive body. The veteran Akali leader would often boast that no one had the guts to question his authority in the SGPC. Resolutions put forward by Mr Tohra would be passed without deliberating on any point in the general house to please "Pardhan Sahib’. Yesterday, the magic wand (hand) that had in the past silenced a thousand critics, seemed to have lost its effect. Mr Tohra repeatedly raised his hand to object on a certain point but the magic wand seemed to have passed into the hands of his successor—Bibi Jagir Kaur. With one whiff of her hand, she would dismiss her predecessor’s arguments, forcing Mr Tohra to lower his hand. When he attempted to raise his voice, there were a dozen hawks amongst his opponents who were ready to pounce on him and silence him. Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was re-elected the SGPC president for a second term yesterday defeating Mr Tohra’s candidate, devised her own novel technique to silence ‘Tohra and company’. She took the support of the almighty and started reciting prayers and Bhahbads as a result all other members present in the meeting too had to do likewise. Yesterday’s general house meeting was first that Mr Tohra attended ever since his ouster in March this year. He had missed two general house meetings in a row and as per the rules a member must not miss three meetings consecutively. Mr Tohra had no option but to attend the meeting. (UNI) |
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West Bengal high on list of France’s agenda CALCUTTA, Nov 11: French Ambassador to India Claude Blanchemaison today said that West Bengal is an important destination of investment in India by his country. Speaking at a presentation on France-India 2000 exhibition here, Mr Blanchemaison said a high-level team of scientists and doctors would visit Calcutta on November 25 to finalise areas for future participation. A water treatment specialist would also accompany the team, which might offer suggestions on arsenic-related problems in the State. He also disclosed that France is looking for more Indian students for French Universities and to achieve the objective a delegation comprising heads of various universities would visit Calcutta on December seven. West Bengal and Calcutta are important destinations for France. "I hope there is a big scope for cooperation here," Mr Blanchemaison said. Earlier, State Minister for Commerce and Industries Bidyut Ganguly invited French entrepreneurs to invest in the State. "We are in need of almost all technologies developed by France. We have identified our priorities and hope that French companies would come forward for investment," he said. He said the State Government would offer both financial and other necessary incentives for joint ventures in private and public sectors. (UNI) |
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India, Austria to hold talks before WTO’s Seattle meet ON BOARD PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL FLIGHT, Nov 11: India and Austria will hold discussions to coordinate positions on contentious social and environmental clauses at the Seattle ministerial conference of WTO this month end. This was stated by Austrian President Thomas Klestil during discussions with his Indian counterpart K R Narayanan in Vienna. Narayanan told reporters on board his special aircraft last night on his way back home after a four-day visit to Austria that Klestil informed him that the discussions for coordinating positions at WTO will be held between delegations of the two countries in the run up to the Seattle conference. He said he expressed India’s concern over restrictive practices adopted to bar export of some Indian goods to Europe and other industrialised nations on the basis of environmental conservation or labour standards. I think on this we will have discussion before the conference, the President said. The European Union of which Austria is a member, has indicated along with United States that it would push hard the developed countries’ proposal to link trade with environment and labour standards. But developing countries led by India have totally opposed this move saying that any such linkage would be an attempt to legitimise protectionism to deny market access. Narayanan described signing of two bilateral agreements on avoidance of double taxation and investment protection during his visit as crucial for promoting economic ties. The agreements are expected to boost investment flow from Austria to India, he said.(PTI) |
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