. |
. |
SC rejects bail plea of Godhra train burning case accused NEW DELHI, Mar 17: The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for grant of bail to Moulvi Hussaen Ibrahim Umarji, a key accused in the case .....more Congress’
economic CHENNAI, Mar 17: In a bid to counter the BJP’s India shining campaign, Congress is bringing out an economic ....more 50 pc of poll officers in districts should be from outside: EC NEW DELHI, Mar 17: In a move to ensure a free and fair Lok Sabha poll, the Election Commission has directed that.......more HP
Ayurvedic Deptt SHIMLA, Mar 17: There are a number of rare herbal species that are in great demand ....more |
|
Ganga pollution should be made poll issue: Experts VASANASI, Mar 17: Eventhough the holy river Ganga is regarded as the lifeline for crores of people, the pollution in the holy river has never been .....more Cracks further deepen between JD(U) and BJP in Jharkhand RANCHI, Mar 17: Cracks further widened among NDA partners as the seat sharing talks between the BJP and JD(U) in .......more Efforts to continue to cobble up front: Cong NEW DELHI, Mar 17: Sidestepping questions on BSP chief Mayawati’s decision to go alone in the coming Lok Sabha ...more Shourie says no proposal for roaming between J&K, Pak JALANDHAR, Mar 17: Communications Minister Arun Shourie today ruled out the possibility of providing.......more |
| Cong-PW nexus symbolises political
opportunism: Advani ...... BJP to contest around LS 350 seats: Venkaiah ...... Litmus test for Akali stalwarts Dhindsa and Mann in Sangrur ..... |
 |
SC rejects bail plea of Godhra train burning case accused NEW DELHI, Mar 17: The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for grant of bail to Moulvi Hussaen Ibrahim Umarji, a key accused in the case pertaining to the burning of Sabarmati Express at Godhra in Gujarat on February 27, 2002, in which 59 persons were roasted alive. A bench comprising Justice S Rajendra Babu, Justice Arun Kumar and Justice G P Mathur rejected the bail plea and upheld the Gujarat High Court order refusing to grant bail to him. Umarji was arrested by Gujarat Police under offences commited under Indian Penal Code (IPC) but later invoked the stringent POTA charges against him. Communal riots had engulfed several parts of the state immediately after the news about burning of the train, which was reportedly carrying "kar sevaks" from Ayodhya, spread. (PTI) |
|
Congress’ economic vision document to counter BJP’s slogan CHENNAI, Mar 17: In a bid to counter the BJP’s India shining campaign, Congress is bringing out an economic vision document highlighting the ‘failures’ of the Vajpayee Government and providing a road map for the country’s economic development, party’s economic affairs cell co-chairman Arjun Sen Gupta said here today. The document would unveil steps to be taken, if Congress was voted to power at the Centre, to tackle the issues of poverty and unemployment, he told a press conference. Describing BJP’s claim of India shining as ‘flip flop’, he claimed the country had reached a ‘negative economic’ growth in many spheres of the economy. Charging BJP with ‘mismanaging’ the economy, he said this had resulted in the loss of ‘potential growth of 12 per cent’. There was also no consistency in the economic policy, thus driving away foreign direct investment into the country. Even neighbouring Pakistan had received more FDI, he said. If the situation was allowed to continue, the country would soon face an ‘economic crisis’ like the one faced by Argentina and Indonesia, Sen Gupta, a former Secretary to the Planning Commission, said. Sen Gupta said due to the reforms initiated by former Finance Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 1991, economic growth reached seven per cent during 1992-97. But it had slowed down to five per cent due to policies adopted by BJP, he claimed. Had the momentum during the Congress rule been kept up, the country could have achieved 12 per cent growth, he said. On disinvestment in public sector, he said his party welcomed the process in general, provided the proceeds from the disinvestment was used for strengthening the capital base of the country. But today, the proceeds from disinvestment was being used to fill up the government coffers, he charged. The country was unable to cash in on the benefits, arising out of a huge foreign exchange reserves. This was mainly due to wrong policies pursued by the Centre, he alleged. Denying the BJP’s charge that the country could not make any progress during the Congress rule, he said during the period the country witnessed five revolutions — green, white, IT, atomic and space. The party laid the foundation for the growth, he claimed. (PTI) |
|
50 pc of poll officers in districts should be from outside: EC NEW DELHI, Mar 17: In a move to ensure a free and fair Lok Sabha poll, the Election Commission has directed that 50 per cent of presiding officers and 50 per cent of polling officers in every district should be from outside. "Since the duties discharged by the polling personnel are vital in the conduct of elections, sufficient care is needed to draft and deploy such personnel in the interest of free and fair elections", the Commission said in a detailed communication to Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Terrorities. The essential principles of 50:50 ratio in the composition of polling parties would be applicable in all states, except single Parliamentary constituency States and Union Territories, the EC said. It said in 50 per cent of the polling stations in every Parliamentary constituency, the Presiding Officer and at least one of the Polling Officers shall be from outside the district. The Presiding Officer should preferably be a gazetted officer and if gazetted officers were not available in sufficient numbers, officers working in supervisory capacity should be drawn for duties as presiding officers. It has asked the ceos to draw up a suitable plan and finalise the groups of districts from where the Presiding Officers and Polling Officers will be drawn for their mobilisation and reciprocal exchange. However, no women officer shall be posted on polling duty outside her district of posting. (PTI) |
|
|
|
|
Efforts to continue to cobble up front: Cong NEW DELHI, Mar 17: Sidestepping questions on BSP chief Mayawati’s decision to go alone in the coming Lok Sabha polls, Congress today said its efforts would continue "till the end" of the polls to cobble up a front of like-minded parties to take on saffron party. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi has already clarified that her efforts are to unite secular forces. The efforts are still continuing. We will continue it till the end of the polls", chairperson of the AICC’s media department Ambika Soni told reporters on the sidelines of party’s website launch. Observing that talks were held at different levels, she said "if a front could not materialise inspite of our efforts, the party is fully prepared to go alone". When asked that BSP chief Mayawati has already declared candidates for 75 seats in Uttar Pradesh out of total 80, Soni said Congress too was not sitting idle. "We are working on all the possibilities and screening candidates accordingly". About the possibility of an alliance with Samajwadi Party in UP, which is being supported by the 16-member Congress party from outside, she said "our objectives are clear that all the secular forces should unite as any division in secular vote would ultimately benefit the communal forces". When reminded that Left parties too were unhappy over seat adjustments with Congress, she said party leaders were in touch with CPI and CPM and differences, if any, would be sorted out amicably. The party today launched a new and comprehensive website www.Congress.Org.In which contains various sections relating to leaders, history of the party and freedom movement and complete information about current general polls. (PTI) |
|
||
Shourie says no proposal for roaming between J&K, Pak JALANDHAR, Mar 17: Communications Minister Arun Shourie today ruled out the possibility of providing roaming mobile facility between Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan. Mr Shourie told mediapersons here that there was no such proposal at present and any such suggestion in future would be carried out after after securing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Army and the intelligence agencies. The Government on Saturday had cleared mobile roaming facility with Pakistan, except for those registered in J&K and northeastern states, for four months on an experimental basis as part of the efforts to improve relations with Islamabad. Roaming is being allowed on a reciprocal basis and Pakistanis visiting India would be able to make calls to their country. The decision would be reviewed on June 15. The facility was being allowed after clearance by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home and External Affairs Ministries. On the prevailing political scenario in the country, the scribe turned politician reiterated that there was no match to the leadership of the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Nataional Democratic Alliance(NDA) was all set to stage a comeback to power at the Centre after the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Shourie, who arrived here last night, addressed an intellectuals’ congregation organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) today to moblise support for the BJP and SAD alliance candidates for the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. (UNI) Cong-PW nexus symbolises political opportunism: Advani HYDERABAD, Mar 17: Almost echoing TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu’s allegations of a nexus between the Congress and the outlawed People’s War (PW) naxals in Andhra Pradesh, Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister L K Advani today endorsed it saying Congress was "adept in political opportunism." Mr Advani made this observation, while responding to a question on the Congress covertly supporting the PW, at a media conference here. "It is unfortunate that the Congress supports such elements in many matters. It only emphasises the Congress’ approach to groups talking about violence often," he alleged. "I have seen this happening in the north eastern states," he added in an apparent reference to the peace dialogue initiated by the NDA against the Nagas and other separatist forces in the hilly bordering terrain in the north east. Mr Advani, later, Left with his Bharat Uday Yatra cavalcade amid high security shield thrown around him by the National Security Guards (NSG). With grey hound, the elite anti-insurgency strike force of the state police, providing logistic support to the black cat NSG commandos in the inner circle, security had been beefed up all along the 450-km route Mr Advani was to traverse while covering five north Telangana districts of Ranga Reddy, Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad over the next 40-odd hours before crossing over to Maharashtra by March 18 evening. A red alert had already been sounded by the police in these five districts as Mr Advani would be addressing 23 road-side and public meetings during the next two days of his yatra after a halt at Jagatiyal in Karimnagar district tonight. (UNI) BJP to contest around LS 350 seats: Venkaiah HYDERABAD, Mar 17: Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been aiming for a 300-seat target in the April-May Lok Sabha polls, party president M Venkaiah Naidu said the BJP would contest around 350 seats and is likely to go it alone in Karnataka. Mr Naidu flew into Hyderabad today for consultation with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and party general secretary Pramod Mahajan ahead of talks with Telugu Desam party supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the seat-sharing issue to the Lok Sabha and state assembly in Andhra Pradesh. He said Mr Mahajan had been briefed and was likely to work out an arrangement by the evening or tommorow after his scheduled talks with Mr Chandrababu Naidu later in the day. Though Mr Venkaiah Naidu asserted that the BJP would demand more seats following the "tremendous response" to the Bharat Uday Yatra and "support" for the achievement of the Vajpayee Government, TDP sources said the BJP would not get more than 10 Lok Sabha seats and 40 assembly seats in line with its new strategy for more representation in Parliament. Mr Venkaiah Naidu, before leaving for campaigning in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, said the national leadership was likely to back the Karnataka unit’s demand to go it alone in the elections. In any case, the alliances and the seats to be contested by the BJP would be formalised by March 21 (Ugadi) and if not latest by March 23, he informed, indicating that the BJP would contest around 350 to 360 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. (UNI) Litmus test for Akali stalwarts Dhindsa and Mann in Sangrur SANGRUR, Mar 17: The Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab is going to be a litmus test for Shiromani Akali Dal nominee and Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and SAD (Amritsar) supremo Simranjit Singh Mann, sitting MP from Sangrur. Dhindsa launched his campaign immediately after receiving the green signal from SAD president Parkash Singh Badal on January 9 but the move promptly brought to fore factionalism within the party. The launch of the campaign by Dhindsa after the rally was considered a rebuff to supporters of senior sad leader and Andhra Pradesh Governor Surjit Singh Barnala who had organised a rally to buttress their claim on the Sangrur seat. The Barnala faction had laid a claim on Sangrur seat as Mann had lost the seat in 1971 by a margin of just 210 votes at the hands of Teja Singh Sawtantra, a joint nominee of CPI and Congress. Mann had then contested the seat with the backing of Surjit Singh Barnala. After that, Barnala himself had won the seat in 1977, 1996 and 1998. However, he lost in 1980 and 1999. Dhindsa contested the seat once in 1989 and lost heavily finishing at fourth place. The Barnala faction had strongly objected to the campaigning by Dhindsa even before official announcement by the party. Immediately after the announcement of Dhindsa’s candidature, SAD general secretary Baldev Singh Mann, a Barnala supporter, fired a salvo at the Union Minister accusing him of being responsible for the defeat of Barnala in 1999 Lok Sabha elections and his defeat in the last assembly elections from Dirba. He demanded a review of the candidature of Dhindsa for his alleged weakening of the party. Despite several efforts of Badal and Dhindsa with Mann and his mentor Barnala for a patch-up between the two stalwarts to take on the formidable challenge of Simranjit Singh Mann, nothing could be achieved so far. Moreover, alarming bells have started ringing in Dhindsa camp by the revival of SAD (Longowal) because Sangrur was the home turf of slain Akali Dal chief Sant Harchand Singh Longowal. Surjit Singh Barnala is being seen as the brain behind the revival of SAD (Longowal) as Inderjit Singh Zira announced the event at a press conference at the residence of Barnala on March 11 when the Andhra Governor was sitting in a room there. The electioneering in the constituency is hotting up with Simranjit Singh Mann having launched an offensive against Dhindsa while the Union Minister still busy in a damage control exercise following the factionalism in SAD thrown up by his nomination. Mann cites distribution of his MP lad funds for various development projects in the district and accuses Dhindsa of distributing his grants as Rajya Sabha MP mainly in Sunam Assembly Constituency, represented by his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa, a segment of Patiala Lok Sabha seat. Dhindsa has so far confined himself to addressing meetings in villages and urban areas on the pattern of local bodies elections. Dhindsa’s son and his wife are maintaining personal contacts to assuage the grievances of their old supporters. Another candidate in fray in Sangrur is Sukhdev Singh Bari of CPI-M (Punjab) whose campaign was launched here by the state party president Mangat Ram Pasla as the joint nominee of four Left parties. While Congress is yet finalise its candidate for Sangrur, the BSP is toying with the idea of fielding its state unit vice president Mangat Ram Pasla. (PTI) VHP not to back any political party in elections CHENNAI, Mar 17: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will not openly give a call to back any political party but will appeal to the people to support the candidates or parties fighting for the cause of Hindus, its general secretary Praveen Togadia said today. The political party which supported the Hindu sentiment should rule the country, Dr Togadia, who was on his way to Vijayawada, told reporters at the airport here. The VHP had contacted two crore families in the country and sought their support in its endeavour. The voters should support those who favoured construction of Ram Temple, Common Civil Code, anti-Conversion Law and Promotion of Hindu Culture in education. The candidates should also raise their voice against infiltration from across the border from Bangladesh, he added. Appealing to the voters to back Hindu protagonists in the April-May elections, he claimed that Jehadis had killed over 80,000 people, including 10,000 security personnel. When asked about Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani’s rath yatra and his views on Hindutva, he had a dig at him by saying anybody could have rath yatra or road show, "but we want them to keep promises made after they come to power". To question on why the BJP raked up Ayodhya Temple issue during the elections, he shot back "ask them". But the VHP had been relentlessly campaigning for the Temple since 1984. Nearly 60 per cent of sculpting was over and they were waiting for the Temple to start at the earliest. When asked about the campaign about Congerss president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue in the elections, he said no person born on foreign land should hold high offices in the country. In the United States also, a person born on foreign land was not allowed to become the President. On DMK president M Karunanidhi’s objection to Mr Advani taking the word ‘Ram’ during the election campaign, he said Mr Karunanidhi could not decide on what other people should speak. (UNI) |
||
|
||
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
