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Cong ‘misleading’ NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Minister of State for Industry Sukhbir Singh Badal, contesting from.....more
Bofors will resume supply BANGALORE, Aug 31: Defence Minister George Fernandes has said Swedish arms...more
Target censorship NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Firebrand filmstar-turned-politician Shabana Azmi today said filmmakers...more |
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Mahajan charge against NEW DELHI, Aug 31: The controversy....more Former neighbours in GANDHINAGAR, Aug 31: Two former neighbours....more Downing of Atlantique NEW DELHI, Aug 31: External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh today dismissed Pakistan’s...more Mulayam, Gangawar enter NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, Union Minister of...more
Sushma facing herculean BELLARY, Aug 31: Facing an herculean task of challenging Mrs Sonia Gandhi in the...more |
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Cong ‘misleading’ voters, Badal tells EC NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Minister of State for Industry Sukhbir Singh Badal, contesting from Faridkot Lok Sabha seat as Shiromani Akali Dal candidate, has complained to the Election Commission that his rival Jagmeet Singh Brar of Congress was trying to mislead the voters. In his complaint, Badal accused Brar of launching a disinformation campaign to mislead the voters and alleged that Brar was circulating a pamphlet containing a graphic design of the Electronic Voting Machine, according to Akali Dal sources. On the graphic design of the machine, an arrow is used to indicate Brar’s name and symbol and instructions mentioned below say that the votes would be valid only if the button against his name is pressed. (PTI) |
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Bofors will resume supply of ammunition: Fernandes BANGALORE, Aug 31: Defence Minister George Fernandes has said Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors will resume supply of spare parts and ammunition for howitzer guns already exported to India. "Supply will resume soon. We have asked for immediate supply and I think supplies are coming", Fernandes told PTI here yesterday. Bofors had last week won authorisation from the Swedish Government for the continued sale in this regard. India had on July one removed a 1986 trade embargo against Bofors in the midst of Kargil conflict. "The contract for supply of spare parts and so on and so forth, which had now been signed with them (Bofors), had been acted upon by the Swedish Government", Fernandes said. Responding to questions, he said he personally believed any discussion or talks with Pakistan must be preceded by the neighbouring country ending the proxy war against India. Asked if it is a pre-condition for talks, Fernandes said: "I am not saying that. That’s a matter which the Prime Minister will respond to and decide". "I believe any kind of normal relation with Pakistan must be preceded by Pakistan respecting the Line of Control and ending the proxy war", he emphasised. "We can’t have Pakistan sending mercenaries inside our territory and creating terrorism and, at the same time, sit and talk as to how we are going to resolve our problems", Fernandes said. He said Pakistan was firing at Indian pickets "everyday and everywhere" to push mercenaries. "This can’t go on. This has to end. Any normalcy or discussion as far as I can see can be only after Pakistan ends this". On modernisation of Indian Army, Fernandes said the Government was doing everything that was needed. "We have been making available whatever funds are required". "The shortages that were created in the last ten years —both in regard to inventories and modernisation — are now being addressed to at great speed", he added. Asked if there was consensus on India signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Fernandes said, "this has to be taken up in Parliament. Because consensus will have to be arrived at in Parliament". Responding to a question as to how India would respond to Pakistan’s move to "lodge a complaint" with the United Nations over the shooting of its Naval reconnaissance aircraft, Atlantique-I, by India on August 10, he said: "we will deal with it at the appropriate place and appropriate time". Fernandes declined to comment on reports that India had initiated preliminary negotiations to acquire a squadron of 2000 D Mirage fighter aircraft from Dassault Aviation of France. "I am not able to answer that question at the moment". Asked if India had an "open mind" on Pakistan’s reported willingness to discuss nuclear issue with India, Fernandes said "that’s a question which has various implications". "We are still in the midst of a proxy war, which Pakistan is continuing against us. Everyday Pakistan is pushing in mercenaries as it has been doing for the last ten years". Pakistan, he said, was still using artillaries against Indian positions in the Kargil sector and further South. "This kind of proxy war is against every canon of warfare and mutual relations. It’s against Shimla agreement and the Lahore process", he said. Asked if Pakistan had been completely "tamed" in the Kargil conflict and if it would resort to any "misadventure" in the future, Fernandes said: "After all the experience we have had with Pakistan, it is very difficult to make any definite statement about their intentions". "No body can make any forecast or statement as to how they will act". (PTI) |
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Target censorship guidelines, not Asha Parekh: Shabana NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Firebrand filmstar-turned-politician Shabana Azmi today said filmmakers should target the film censorship guidelines for problems faced by them rather than criticise Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Asha Parekh. Reacting strongly to personal attacks, Shabana said at a press meet here, she said it was ‘singularly unfair to pin the entire blame on Asha Parekh’. She said filmmakers should mobilise support for changing the guidelines if they were so aggrieved. Asked if she would raise a voice about this in Parliament, she said that it was important for the film industry to speak in one voice before anyone can take any initiative in this regard. The actress was speaking at a press meet organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps which has organised the premiere of the film ‘godmother’ in the capital this evening. Others present at the meet were Shabana’s husband and lyricist Javed Akhtar, director Vinay Shukla, actor Milind Gunaji, music director Vishal Bhardwaj and executive producer Rajat Sengupta of Gramco Films. The film is being released commercially on September three. Shabana, Javed, Vinay Shukla and Milind strongly defended the violence in the film — which won as many as six national awards —and said that it was necessary to the theme. Both Javed and Milind said if the depiction of violence creates revulsion, then it has achieved its objective. The director said it was important to see whether the violence projected in a film encouraged or discouraged violence. Javed said that no research had ever linked the psyche of the criminals in various jails in the country to the violence shown in films. If anything, films only depicted what was happening in society. Shabana said that violence should be shown judiciously and not casually and unnecessarily. In reply to a question, Shabana said Santokhben Jadeja, who had initially alleged that the film was based on her life, was convinced on seeing the film that this was not true. However, Shabana admitted that one scene was removed on the plea of Santokhben, who had filed a court case against the filmmaker, but refused to divulge the details of the scene. She said every problem could be sorted out through dialogue and Santokhben’s protests were based on reports fed to her by others. Vinay said though he had initially thought of the film after reading a short story, the story of Santokhben did inspire him to an extent and also made him shift the scene outside Mumbai where most underworld films are based. Shabana said that a large number of films made in the past few years had shown a perceptible change in the portrayal of women. She said that while empowerment could be misused by the male as had been seen in real life as well, such cases were few. Both Shabana and Vinay said that the central character Rambhi was shown as very feminine in many ways, like when she solves the water problem of the villagers, keeps her office clean, and the way she reacts when her son is affected by her lifestyle. Shabana said she had tried to bring in her own sensibilities as a woman. While emphasising that it was only in the twentyfourth year of her career that a film starring her - Deepa Mehta’s ‘fire - had run into controversy, she said controversy arose whenever anyone tried something new. Such actions were bound to rattle some bones and create controversies, she said, but admired the fact that the CBFC had passed that film as an ‘a’ film and on re-examination stuck to its stand. Vinay said ‘Godmother’ had originally not been meant as a film about empowerment, but only as the story of how a woman would react to a certain situation in her life. The central character is passive at first but then starts reacting to circumstances around her. Shabana said the film was not about tensions between two communities but about how certain people tended to create blocks within communities. Javed denied that only women could be used as puppets, and said that even men had to face that problem. But ‘power has its own rules’ and the person in power will begin exercising his independence at some time. Javed said it was a strange paradox that artists always gave their best when they worked under repression. Therefore there was no reason to despair at the present situation and the artist community should not get demoralised. Shabana said a piece of art should be judged on its own merit and not because of the controversy it generates, when asked if she expected ‘Godmother’ to become a success like ‘Fire’ because of the controversy it had created. Milind said he was drawn to the character he protrays because of its strength and because the woman draws her strength from it. Vishal Bhardwaj admitted that he had studied the folk music of Gujarat for this film, but had then blended it with Western classical music. (UNI) |
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Mahajan charge against Cong on
his reported NEW DELHI, Aug 31: The controversy over Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan’s reported statement about Sonia Gandhi took a new turn today as he charged the Congress and some people in a national English daily with working in connivance to malign him, but the newspaper said it stood by its report. I am convinced that this is a reprehensible antic of the ‘dirty tricks department’ of the Congress party working in connivance with some people in The Hindustan Times, he said at a hurriedly called press conference at his residence here. However, reacting to his charge, the Executive Editor of the daily, Bharat Bhushan, said in a statement that The Hindustan Times stands by its report which said that Mr Pramod Mahajan had equated Ms Monica Lewinsky with Mrs Sonia Gandhi in a public speech. Bhushan said at the core of the report was the quote which was used verbatim: We also know that Soniaji was the favourite Bahu of Indiraji. But, is that good enough for us to let a foreign born person such as Sonia to become our Prime Minister? If we are so keen on having a foreigner as the PM, why not have Tony Blair or Bill Clinton or even Monica Lewinsky. He said, by any reckoning, he (Mahajan) was equating Mrs Gandhi with Ms Lewinsky. No one can doubt his intention to belittle the leader of another political party. Denying the report that he equated Gandhi with the former White House intern, Mahajan released copies of a letter written by the newspaper’s Mumbai bureau chief Pramod Pagedar to the Executive Editor which said that his story was distorted at the Delhi end by someone for reasons best known to him or her concerned. In the letter, Pagedar said Mahajan had not uttered certain words that had been attributed to him in the report, giving the erroneous impression that he equated Gandhi with Lewinsky. Pagedar said what he had written in his copy was: The audience even at such remote towns as Pandharkawda and Rajura, bordering Andhra Pradesh, burst out laughing and cheering Mahajan wildly over his wise-crack on Monica and Bill. The Hindustan Times, however, released a transcript of Pagedar’s report which said the target of Mahajan’s apparently innocuous sounding innuendoes is none other than the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The report quoted Mahajan as having said we respect Sonia as a Bahu of the Nehru-Gandhi family. We also know that she was the favourite Bahu of the late Indiraji. But, is that good enough for us to let a foreign born person like Sonia to become our Prime Minister? If we are so keen on having a foreigner as a PM, why not have Tony Blair or Bill Clinton or even Monica Lewinsky? Evading a question about his actual statement referring to Lewinsky, Mahajan said the question is whether I equated her with Gandhi... I have proved it beyond doubt that I did not. If you are interested in knowing what I said about Lewinsky, you can hear the audio and video clip of my hour-long speech. He said that despite my repeated clarifications, the press had tended not to believe me and I was hanged.’’ Asked as to why he had apologised for his reported remarks if he had not uttered them, the Minister said that my apology had also mentioned that I had not not compared Gandhi with Lewinsky and I had said that if any reporter had drawn such an inference and if anyone was hurt by that then I was sorry. To a query as to whether he intended taking any action against the newspaper, he said: Hindustan Times is an old reputed newspaper. If someone at some level has committed mischief, they will correct by themselves. I am in the midst of an election campaign, I have no time even to think of any action. I leave to their conscience the atonement for the wrong done to me, he said regretting that the newspaper had even today repeated the charge against him. (PTI) |
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Mulayam, Gangawar enter fray for fourth phase NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, Union Minister of State for Petroleum Santosh Gangawar and former Railway Minister Nitish Kumar and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shyama Charan Shukla were among prominent candidates who filed their nominations for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls to 74 constituencies in nine States on September 25 on the second day of filing of papers today. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is contesting from Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, filed nomination from the Sambhal seat he won in 1998 while Santosh Gangawar jumped into the fray from Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency in the State where 13 candidates have entered the race taking the total number to 22. While, Nitish Kumar entered the fray from Barh seeking re-election, JD (U) leaders, Prabhunath Singh (Mharajganj) and Mahendra Baitha (Baitha) were among seven aspirants who submitted their papers in Bihar. Others who filed their papers are Champaran Vikas Party leader Dharmesh Kumar Verma (Bettiah), RJD leader Purnamasi Ram (Bagaha) and CPI leader Shatrughan Prasad Singh (Balia). In Madhya Pradesh, former Chief Minister Shyama Charan Shukla (Cong) was among five aspirants to enter the fray. Shukla, who is contesting Lok Sabha polls for the first time, filed his papers from Mahasamund constituency. In Himachal Pradesh, former Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kaul Singh Thakur and Dhani Ram Shandi of Himachal Vikas Party were among four candidates who entered the fray. In Orissa, George Tirkey of Jharkhan Mukti Morcha (JMM) was the only candidate to file papers in the State. The fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held for 19 constituencies in Bihar, four in Himachal Pradesh, 12 in Madhya Pradesh, one each in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, two in Meghalaya, 10 in Orissa and 24 in Uttar Pradesh. The last date for filing nominations in these constituencies is September six, scrutiny will be held on September seven and the last date of withdrawal of papers is September nine. (PTI) |
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Sushma facing herculean task of challenging Sonia BELLARY, Aug 31: Facing an herculean task of challenging Mrs Sonia Gandhi in the Congress’s traditional home ground of Bellary, for Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party, its a campaign with a difference. Its like bearding the lion in its own den for Mrs Swaraj, a die hard leader who had made a mark politically both in Delhi and in Haryana. Unruffled by the daunting task, especially in a constituency where BJP’s presence is insignificant, Mrs Swaraj is literally on the streets to make the party symbol "Lotus" popular compared to "Hand" symbol of the Congress which is easily recognised by the voters here. Mrs Swaraj, who is staying in a house of a local doctor eversince filing her nominations, begins her day by addressing gatherings at various places coming under Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha constituency. The campaign extends past the midnight, but she is back next morning with her usual smile. Though Mrs Swaraj is locked in a triangular contest, with K Mahalingappa of Janata Dal (Secular) being the third candidate, it’s anybody’s guess that the fight in real sense is between the two women. Even as the impeccably dressed leader with a sindoor on her forehead, emerges out of the house, the party workers greet her with a loud cheer. Then she begins her campaign in a makeshift "Ratha" on a tatamobile. Janata Dal (United) leader N Thippanna, who sacrificed his ticket for the BJP stalwart, accompanies her along with other leaders. The constituency is slated to go to polls in the first phase on September 5. The recorded version of Mrs Swaraj’s brief speech in Kannada, explaining what made her to contest from Bellary and the "Swadeshi" mantra is played the waiting audience before her arrival. As soon as she arrives at the place, amid tight security, women offer her traditional welcome by performing ``Aarti’’ applying vermilion on her forehead, while some shower petals on her. Enthused by the response, she immediately gets into the local mood and start addressing the people in Kannada evoking good response from the audience. Within a few minutes everything is over, the place is emptied and the "Ratha" moves on to next scheduled place for a similar programme. While Sonia Gandhi had met the voters by hopping from one place to another in a helicopter to address rallies, Mrs Swaraj reaches the electorate by road. Though the authorities ensure tight security for the women during campaign, Mrs Swaraj grabs every chance to mingle with the crowd, which was not not possible for Mrs Gandhi who is under "Z" category security. However, during recent campaign Mrs Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Wadhera, broke the cordon in Siruguppa and met the people, women in particular, for a brief while. Senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, V Narayanaswamy and state campaign committee chief B Janardhana Poojari are camping in the constituency on behalf of Mrs Gandhi for campaign. Mrs Swaraj is camping in Bellary right from the day of filing her nomination. Besides, senior BJP leaders including L K Advani and leaders from National Democratic Alliance partners George Fernandes and Ramakrishna Hegde and Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel had also campaigned for Mrs Sushma. Encouraged by the response, Mrs Swaraj is confident of making it to the Lok Sabha. "I cannot say about the margin. But I am sure the voters will elect me this time," she says. "What is there for the people to vote for the Congress which had not done anything for them since 1952. Look at the condition of the roads. Is it the way to maintain", she asks. "Local people wanted a commander to lead them and I am there to look into their interests. Though I will not promise anything now, I will adopt this constituency after the victory like I did in Ambala and Delhi and nurture it with a motherly care", she said. The 47-year-old Ambala born leader had crisscrossed the constituency and had already covered over four lakh people. On an average she addresses 20 meetings a day in rural areas. More than 5,000 representatives from various organisations of the ‘Sangh Pariwar’ will be descending on this mining town in a couple of days for campaigning. The BJP is planning to take her in a helicopter on the last day of campaign (September 3) and reach as many voters as possible. BJP’s election campaign in charge D H Shankaramurthy is brimming with confidence about the prospects. "My idea is to cover at least seven lakh of the total 1.17 million electorate. Since the vote sharing of the Congress has come down drastically, Mrs Swaraj should win this time," he contends. He said he had succeeded in organising at least 10,000 party volunters and another 900 workers would come from Andhra Pradesh for campaigning. "I know the strategy of congress during the last days of campaign and we are ready to face it", he added. The role of film stars has also added glitter to the campaign. In fact police had a tough time in controlling the surging crowds which had gathered to have a glimpse of their action heroine Vijayashanti, when she campaigned for Mrs Swaraj. Besides, several Kannada film actors and actresses have also campaigned for the BJP leader in the constituency. (UNI) |
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