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| No two power Centres, says Singh NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Debunking suggestions that there were two power centres in the Congress party, HRD minister......more Lawyers
prevent APP HUBLI, Aug 31: Slogan-shouting lawyers demanding a High Court bench be set up in Hubli-Dharwad today prevented the ......more Sonia, not
Manmohan NEW DELHI, Aug 31: A majority of respondents in a multi-media opinion poll have said they have a preference for Mr......more Ex-IB
chief admits AHMEDABAD, Aug 31: Gujarat policemen had been "pressurised" by some senior leaders of the ruling BJP to "go soft"......more |
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Lalu assails Karnataka Govt on cases against Uma PATNA, Aug 31: Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad today flayed the Karnataka Government for changing its......more Notice to
Attorney General NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Delhi High Court today issued notice to Attorney General Milon Banerjee seeking his assistance.....more ‘India,
Pakistan should NEW DELHI, Aug 31: India and Pakistan should follow the China-Taiwan model of helping each other’s economic......more Apnag’s
defection GUWAHATI, Aug 31: The BJP’s juggernaut in the northeast has suffered a jolt with the defection of Arunachal Pradesh.......more |
No two power Centres, says Singh NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Debunking suggestions that there were two power centres in the Congress party, HRD minister Arjun Singh disclosed today that the party president Sonia Gandhi has made it absolutely clear that all the Prime Ministerial prerogatives belong to Dr Manmohan Singh. Describing the Prime Minister as a "good team leader" and the "best amongst us", Arjun Singh, a party heavyweight, told PTI, "Mrs Gandhi has very clearly and unambiguously told all of us what has to be done. I do not think there is any ambiguity about it or (there are) two power centres". "If any minister has any other impression... There is no shadow of doubt...", said the veteran Congressman whose Prime Ministerial ambitions have been a subject of media speculation for several years, most recently fuelled by BJP’s suggestions that he was "desaffronising" education with an eye on the top job. What was it like working in the Manmohan Singh’s cabinet?, the HRD minister was asked during an interview. "He is well versed in the art of governance. He is the best amongst us. I think so.", Arjun Singh replied. Asked if senior Congressmen like him and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee regarded the Prime Minister as a "latecomer to politics who had got the top job", Arjun Singh said, "I don’t think Manmohan Singh is a latecomer to anything. "He understands fully well what is Government and what it is to run a Government. I have worked with him when he was Finance Minister. I have never found him even once giving the impression of `take it or leave it’ nor impose his views", the minister said. (PTI) |
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Lawyers prevent APP from
entering court, HUBLI, Aug 31: Slogan-shouting lawyers demanding a High Court bench be set up in Hubli-Dharwad today prevented the Assistant Public Prosecutor from entering the court hearing the Uma Bharti case, forcing its adjournment till 1630 Hrs. As the court was to begin the proceedings at 3 pm, the slogan shouting lawyers blocked the entry of the APP into the court hall and shouted slogans against High Court Chief Justice N K Jain for his position that it was not possible to set up the bench in north Karnataka. Judicial Magistrate First Class Mohammed Ismail directed the police to bring the APP’s Nagendra into the court hall but he was not allowed in by the striking lawyers. "I am not able to get into the court even with police protection. The situation is intense," Nagendra told reporters. The Hubli bar association president C B Patil told reporters earlier that they would not allow the court proceedings as part of their agitation. The court was to hear the plea for withdrawal of cases against Bharti, at present in jail at Dharwad, in connection with the cases filed against her in 1994, when a BJP-led agitation for hoisting the tricolour at the Idgah maidan turned violent, leading to death of six persons in police firing. In a sudden U-turn, the Karnataka Government had told the High Court yesterday it stood by the two-year old decision of the state Ccabinet to drop the charges against Bharti. (PTI) |
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Sonia, not Manmohan Singh, running Govt: Opinion Poll NEW DELHI, Aug 31: A majority of respondents in a multi-media opinion poll have said they have a preference for Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister over Dr Manmohan Singh, contending that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and not Dr Singh has been running the fledgling UPA Government. The survey, jointly conducted by the Telegraph, Star News and AC Nielsen-Org Marg on the 100 days of the UPA Government, also revealed that the respondents were in favour of the removal of ‘tainted’ ministers from the Manmohan Singh cabinet. However, 61 per cent of the 1618 respondents felt that the UPA would return to power in Maharashtra if elections were to be held immediately. The survey was conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Patna, Indore and Ahmedabad. Fifty-four per cent of the respondents said they preferred Mr Vajpayee over Dr Singh, who could muster the support of 39 per cent. The former Prime Minister had more support in eight of the ten cities surveyed. Mr Vajpayee’s biggest lead was in Indore where he had the support of 73 per cent of the respondents as compared to 22 per cent for Dr Singh. However, Dr Singh had an edge over Mr Vajpayee in the financial capital Mumbai and also in Ludhiana. Fifty-two per cent of the rspondents believed that Ms Gandhi was running the Government while 34 per cent felt that Dr Singh was in charge of affairs at the helm. Another six per cent felt that the Left Parties were running the Government. Nearly 75 per cent of the participants in the survey held that the "tainted" ministers should go. Opposition to the tainted ministers was universally high, peaking in Mumbai at 89 per cent. Interestingly, Patna was the only city where a majority of people saw nothing wrong with the continuation of the ‘tainted’ ministers in the Government, with 51 per cent of the respondents subscribing to that view. Nearly two-thirds of the respondets believed that the Government had been unable to control inflation. Less than 30 per cent of them felt that the Government had been successful in controlling it. Concerns on inflation were the highest in Patna where the 82 per cent of the respondents felt that the Government had not done enough to control inflation. Fifty-five per cent of the participants in Mumbai, however, felt that the government had performed adequately on this count. Forty-three per cent of those surveyed felt that the UPA would return to power in Maharashtra whereas 47 per cent of the respondents believed it would not be able to do so. The silver lining for the UPA was that 61 per cent of the respondents in Mumbai believed that if elections, scheuled to be held in two months’ time, were held immediately, it would return to power. The findings of the survey were telecast on Star News’ team Manmohan - Kaisa Raha Shatak’’. Taking a swipe at the ‘dynasty’, Mr Sinha said abandoning or marginalising several development inititiates of the NDA and renaming of some schemes after the ‘dynasty’ had been the hallmark of the 100 days in administration. The recently concluded AICC session was a well choreographed attempt to send the message "India is dynasty and dynasty is India," Mr Sinha claimed. He said this was the first Government in post independence where Prime Minister was not his own master but he was so powerless that he had no control over his own ministers nor his party’s Chief Ministers. He was treated like ‘just another Congressman’ in the AICC session, Mr Sinha said. He said the act of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh annulling the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal with its neighbouring states or Manipur Chief Minister defying the Centre and getting a resolution passed in the State Assembly for scrapping the Armed Forces Special Provisions Act were all clear indicators that PM was not in full control of the situation. The state was in turmoil for nearly two months and the Home Minister was yet to find time to visit the state, he caustically remarked. Referring the public spat between RJD chief Laloo Prasad and Lok Janshakti president Ramvilas Paswan on the issue of tainted ministers controversy, the BJP spokesman said TRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao was yet to get his portfolio at the end of 100 days of UPA in office. The fate of another Union Minister Jagdish Tytler was also ‘pathetic’ because he was without work and an office in the External Affairs Ministry, he said. He said unilateral withdrawal of ban on People’s War Group by Andhra Pradesh was a danger to national security because its activities were not confined just to the state. It had spread its tentacles to neighbouring states and rest of India. Perhaps it was for this reason, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had criticised the centre sharply for its failure to advise the AP Government against this ‘short sighted step’, Mr Sinha said. On the foreign policy the ggovernment began with numerous embarassing blunders. There was no sign of release of Indian hostages in Iraq, he said. (UNI) |
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‘India, Pakistan should
help mutual NEW DELHI, Aug 31: India and Pakistan should follow the China-Taiwan model of helping each other’s economic advancement even though differences persisted, a member of a visiting Pakistani Parliamentary delegation said today. Stressing that it was time the neighbours came together, Kunwar Khalid Yunus, a MQM member from Karachi who was born in Sambhal (UP), said while India and Pakistan have a dispute over a territory, China and Taiwan have a dispute over a whole country and yet both were spending billions of dollars on each other. In an interactive session with senior journalists, the 19-member delegation led by Gohar Ayub Khan, former national assembly Speaker and Foreign Minister, strongly felt that notwithstanding certain "hiccups" that may come up, New Delhi and Islamabad should sustain the composite dialogue process. "We should continue talking and create the right atmosphere and the goodwill generated will help further the peace process," he said. The Pakistani MPs acknowledged that there was no quick fix solution to the vexed Jammu and Kashmir issue and the two sides should gradually move forward on it. Pakistan Muslim League MP M P Bhandara felt the issue of documents for starting the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service should be quickly sorted. The Pakistan Government is willing to accept any document other than passports, he said. Asked about expectations from the two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan here from September five, Khan said this would mark the conclusion of the first phase of talks on the eight issues including J and K in the composite dialogue. "The process has started. It should be seen as a process. There has been a slight forward movement," he said. Describing the Siachen imbroglio between India and Pakistan as the "world’s most absurd conflict", Khan, a former Army Officer, felt politicians of both countries should be asked to spend a night in the freezing heights of Siachen to understand the difficult conditions under which the defence personnel have to survive in the world’s highest battlefield. Jamiat-ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur faction) secretary general, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said war was no solution and the two countries should resolve all outstanding issues under the 1972 Shimla agreement. He also voiced concern at the hiked defence outlays in both countries, saying these resources could well be used for developmental projects. A fifth term MP, Saeed Naveed Qamar of the Pakistan People’s Party said India can be proud of its Election Commission. "Pakistan is still evolving as a democracy". Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Deputy Parliamentary leader of MMA, said people in both countries strongly favoured normalcy in relations. Both sides were exercising restraint on rhetoric and this should continue, he emphasised. (PTI) |
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Apnag’s defection set back for BJP GUWAHATI, Aug 31: The BJP’s juggernaut in the northeast has suffered a jolt with the defection of Arunachal Pradesh caretaker Chief Minister Gegong Apang to the Congress. Things are not going well for the party in Nagaland too with simmering discontent in the Nagaland people’s front leaving Mizoram the only state where the BJP Government has some sway despite the fact that it does not have any MLA there. "We have learnt a hard lesson," said Mr V Satish, the BJP’s organisational chief of the northeast, who is working overtime to ensure that the Nagaland Government stays despite brewing dissidence. The Congress is buoyant and will like to see the last frontier of Mizoram coming their way where the Mizo National Front has a wafer thin majority over the Congress and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) alliance. The BJP led by its organisational chief V Satish had orchestrated the of S C Jamir of the Congress through Neiphu Rio. The BJP then toppled the Congress Government of Mukut Mithi and promoted Gegong Apang to become the BJP Chief Minister of the hill state. Mr Apang, however, returned to the Congress fold, stunning blow to the BJP, forcing even Mr Satish to admit his mistake. "This development is not unexpected as Mr Apang has a record of changing colours frequently with the change of guard at the Centre," Mr Satish said. "We have learnt a lesson from this development and from now on we will think seriously while accepting anybody into our fold," said Mr Satish, who once took pride in the BJP’s inroads into the impregnable base of the Congress. "We will now start with clean and non-corrupt politics," he added. Meanwhile, the Nagaland unit of the BJP has reaffirmed its full support to Chief Minister Neiphu Rio in the wake of reports of simmering discontent in the Nagaland People’s Front. In a statement, state unit BJP spokesman Johny G Rengma said no single party, including the NPF, has the authority to decide the fate of the democratic alliance of Nagaland. He also cautioned the NPF legislators that only Dan has the exclusive right and is the final authority in respect of the leadership of the Dan Government. The statement said the Dan was formed through a Common Minimum Programme and the coalition partners had unanimously chosen Mr Rio as their leader. The party said BJP president Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders had expressed confidence in the leadership of Mr Rio and lauded the progress in development activities in Nagaland. Mr Naidu cautioned the party legislators and workers to be careful with regard to any ‘misunderstanding or arrangement with the Congress’, adding that the party high command would take disciplinary action against any such move. However, the situation in Mizoram is slightly better. Mr Zoramthanga has been able to keep the flock together with iron fist and the anti-Defection law has come into handy as the Congress has not been able to poach any legislator. But it is certain that BJP has gone back to the drawing boards again to improve their chances in the seven states. They now have MLAs in Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Aruanchal Pradesh and Nagaland. They have not been able to open account in Mizoram and Tripura (UNI) Orders on withdrawal of POTA case against Vaiko today CHENNAI, Aug 31: The fate of Tamil Nadu Government’s petition seeking to withdraw POTA cases against MDMK leader Vaiko and eight other party functionaries would be known tomorrow when the designated court takes up the plea. Designated POTA Judge L Rajendran had on August 26 said that he would deliver his verdict on September one and directed all the accused to be present. The State Government had filed the petition in keeping with the Supreme Court’s August 13 directive, after Vaiko had moved the Apex Court alleging that the Government was not making any attempt to withdraw the case despite him being cleared of the charges by the central POTA review committee. The committee in its April eight report had held that there was no prima facie case against the MDMK leader for the State Government to proceed against him under section 21 of the anti-Terror law. Vaiko was arrested on July 11, 2002, and charged under POTA, along with the other partymen, for allegedly speaking in favour of the banned LTTE at a public meeting at Tirumangalam in Madurai district on June 30, 2002. He was granted bail on February 7 last. Acting on a petition filed by Vaiko for a direction to the State Government to drop the charges against him after the review committee had given its report, the Madras High Court had held that the committee’s recommendation was binding on the Central and State Governments. The High Court had, however, held that the committee’s findings could not override the judiciary and it was up to the designated POTA Judge to take a decision on the State Government’s recommendation to withdraw the case. The Supreme Court had endorsed the High Court’s observation. (PTI) Chandy: A shrewd but widely admired politician THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Aug 31: A shrewed but widely admired politician, 61-year-old oommen Chandy’s elevation as Chief Minister marks a new era in the Congress politics in Kerala which had for long centred round K Karunakaran and A K Antony. For Chandy, a trusted lieutenant of Antony, it has been a long journey to the Centre-stage after he plugned into active politics as a student activist in the 1960s. Reputed as an orgnisational man, Chandy has endeared himself to the party’s rank and file by his simple lifestyle and unsullied reputation. He holds a record of sorts by getting elected to the State Assembly from his home constituency of puthupally unfailingly since 1970, seen by many as the strongest proof of his popularity and acceptance to all sections. Chandy had held important portfolios in previous udf ministries, including home and finance. A great source of strength for the Antony group in the Congress for decades, Chandy had led many a factional battle for his mentor and skilfully thwarted grave threats posed to the Antony Government by adversaries from within and outside the party. A pioneer of the student movement, Chandy started his career through the Kerala Students Union and went on to become its president. In subsequent years, he also served as the state president of the youth Congress and held senior positions in the pradesh Congress. Despite being the architect of the UDF’s impressive win in 2001 Assembly polls, Chandy chose to stay out of the cabinet. He was, however, made the convener of the UDF. (PTI) Rahul seeks details on condition
of handpumps, AMETHI, Aug 31: "How many handpumps are there...How many of them work...And the roads?" These were some of the questions AICC member and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi posed to the electorate of his constituency as he reached here this morning. During his latest visit to his Parliamentary constituency, Rahul, who toured a number of areas, gave his exlcusive attention to the problems of his electorate, at times stopping abruptly to talk to people, especially children, asking them about the state of the basic infrastructure. Keeping the media away, Rahul asked the people questions about the number of handpumps in the area, their working condition and the state of roads. Although there is no fixed schedule for his visit, Rahul is expected to remain here till September 3. This is his first visit to his constituency after Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed him a co-opted member of the AICC earlier this month. Rahul was here last month also, on a five-day visit. "This time again, he is expected to stay here for four days...There is no schedule and no public meetings are lined up," said a party leader. He arrived here en route his mother’s constituency — Rae Bareli. Rahul’s latest visit to his Parliamentary constituency assumes significance as just two days ago the Congress had announced that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 180 crore for construction of roads and bridges in Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies. The Central Road Transport and Highway Ministry, in a special package for Rae Bareli and Amethi, sanctioned Rs 180 crore as a first installment for the developmental works which includes a Rs 30 crore new road bridge over river Ganga in Rae Bareli. Altogether, 12 roads of about 400 km would be constructed in the first phase in both the constituencies. (UNI) Halon phase-out a significant milestone for India: Raja NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Union Forests and Environment Minister A Raja said today that India’s achievement of completely phasing out production of ozone-depleting halons was a significant milestone towards its endeavour in protecting the ozone layer. Inaugurating the National Halon Reclamation and Banking Facility here today, Mr Raja stated that India had also implemented 13 projects for phasing out halons in the consumption sector, thus ensuring a timely phase out of about 100 tonnes of production and 400 tonnes of consumption of halons as per baseline year, adding that funds aggregating to 700 million US dollars had been approved by the executive committee of the multilateral fund for India for phasing out halons. Stating that India’s track record of complying with the provisions of the montreal protocol was exemplary, the minister pointed out that India had already implemented a number of projects for phasing out the ozone depleting substances, enacted regulations and provided incentives to the domestic industry to follow the ozone friendly path. While taking necessary steps for implementation of the protocol, we have ensured that our industry does not get adversely affected and our consumer interests are protected, he asserted. The minister further said that with more than 185 countries as signatories, the montreal protocol was regarded as a highly successful multi-lateral environmental agreement aimed at protecting the stratospheric ozone layer. "It is important to recognise that a key factor that led to the success of the protocol is the north-south co-operation, both technical and financial, that it fostered and public-private partnership that led to credible and timely actions to phase out production and consumption of ozone depleting substances including halons, he added. Observing that halons, being miracle fire extinguishing chemicals, contributed significantly to the ozone layer depletion, Mr Raja pointed out that due to their chemical characteristics, these substances find prominent usage in fire safety applications in several sectors including strategically important areas. Mr Raja further noted that the usage of halons had to be continued in certain critical sectors, given their importance for various strategic uses without any comparable and feasible alternatives. India, in cooperation with the Government of Canada and Australia, therefore prepared national halon management and banking programme with four objectives — establishing a database of halon usage by large users, storage of halons including recovery and reclamation, preparation of educational and awareness material and training for better management of halon stocks, and formation of a panel of experts for determining essential usage of banked halons. Ms Penelope wensley, High Commissioner of Australia, said the National Halon Bank targetted the world’s most aggressive ozone depleting substance, which is commonly used in fire extinguishers. One kg of halon released into the atmosphere was capable of destroying between 240,000 and 800,000 kg of ozone, she noted. Mr Robert Woodhouse, acting High Commissioner of Canada, observed that the bank would play an important role in the protection of the ozone layer for the benefit of future generations throughout India and the world and was another milestone in the ongoing cooperation between Canada and India in the environment sector. Dr Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Dr W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) were also present. (UNI) |
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