The Tribune

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Monday, July 6, 1998

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27 killed as truck falls into gorge
SHIMLA, July 6 (UNI) — Twentyseven persons were killed and 60 injured, twelve of them seriously, when a truck carrying them fell into a gorge near Kotlu in Mandi district last night.
While 24 persons died on the spot, three succumbed to their injuries in a hospital at Karsog. The seriously injured were rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical Hospital here.
The truck, carrying nearly 90 persons, was returning to Sorah (Tiwan) from the Bhima Kali temple at Sarahan, where its occupants had gone to pay obeisance.
The owner of the truck, who was also travelling in it, is also believed to have died in the accident.
Soon after the accident, the Mandi district authorities rushed to the spot to launch a rescue operation.
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal announced in the state assembly that he had directed the district administration to provide all necessary relief to the victims.
Rs 250-cr Central aid for J&K
Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, July 5 — Expressing readiness to meet the security-related expenses of the insurgency affected state of Jammu and Kashmir,the Centre today decided to release Rs 250 crore to help overcome financial crisis.
A high- level meeting,chaired by the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani and attended by the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes along with the Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, decided that the Centre would meet the plan requirement of Jammu and Kashmir by bridging the resource gaps and providing funds for a suitable plan size.
The Planning Commission,thus, would provide additional funds to the state in a phased manner for the Dal Lake conservation plan and for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructures, the meeting decided. These funds would be given in advance on pro-rata monthly instalments which would be adjusted to the claims of the state government.
An official press release after the meeting said a committee to look into the security-related expenditure of the state would be set up which would finalise its report by August end.
The meeting,which was also attended by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister,Dr Farooq Abdullah, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mr Jaswant Singh and the Minister for Power, Mr P.R. Kumaramangalam, felt that the state should also take steps to improve its own resources by better collection of revenue and recoveries.
Today’s meeting follows an earlier ministerial level meeting held at Srinagar to review the economic situation of the state and take remedial measures. No decision could be taken at that meeting because of some differences on the issue of security related expenses.
Jammu and Kashmir has been asking the Centre a sum of Rs 1796 crore, including Rs 500 crore as soft loan, to nurse the ailing economy of the state. The soft loan is being asked for meeting the recommendations of the Pay Commission report.
The state government has been incurring substantial expenditure on account of adverse security situation, the sources said. The deficit in the state budget accumulated at the end of March, 1998, had shot up to an alarming level of Rs 1143 crore, sources in the state government pointed out. It is estimated to be of the order of Rs 1544 crore by the end of the current financial year. The outstanding central loans have also registered a steep rise from Rs 554.37 crore in 1980-81 to Rs 2250 crore in 1997-98,the sources said.
The state has also demanded a loan waiver for small borrowers in respect of small-scale industries,tourism and transport in cases where the original borrowing did not exceed Rs 50,000.

Fernandes briefs Vajpayee on
talks with Jaya
NEW DELHI, July 5 (PTI) — Two ministers of the BJP-led coalition, who met Ms Jayalalitha in Chennai yesterday, called on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today and were understood to have conveyed to him that there was no threat to the government from the aiadmk "at least for some time."
Defence Minister George Fernandes, who said he had a "good message" from AIADMK after a meeting with her yesterday, met Mr Vajpayee shortly after his arrival from Chennai last night.
Another minister Mr Dilip Ray, who also met her yesterday, called on Mr Vajpayee this evening and apprised him of the discussions with her.
The two ministers were understood to have told Mr Vajpayee that the AIADMK leader was cut up with the bjp leadership for the outright rejection of her demand for the dismissal of the dmk Government in Tamil Nadu and that they were taking the party’s support to the coalition government for granted.
She was said to be cut up with the "big brotherly attitude" of the BJP and wanted that the aiadmk should be taken into confidence on all major decisions of the government.
She was reportedly also upset that her ministers at the Centre were being hampered in their functioning and were not being allowed to have even personal secretaries and officials of their choice for efficient functioning.
She also wanted early replacement for the party nominees R. Muthiah and R. K. Kumar who had to resign from the coalition ministry.
She was said to have conveyed to the Prime Minister that her party would not stand in the way of the passage of the Railway Budget and the Union Budget and she would not be responsible for the destabilisation of the government.
AIADMK MPs who had staged repeated walkouts to press their demand for the DMK government’s dismissal, would be attending the resumed Budget Session of Parliament from tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the BJP today appealed to its allies to sort out their differences within the Coordination Committee instead of rush to the media.
Party vice-president K. L. Sharma told mediapersons here that the BJP was of the view that any decision taken under duress would not be in the interest of the government or the constituents. The allies could take up the issues with the Prime Minister also so that these could be resolved to the satisfaction of all.
He said the coalition partners should realise the consequences before raising contentious issues and should also feel and understand the intricacies involved.
Regarding the BJP’s preparations for the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Mizoram, he said the party would designate a senior leader who would look into the issues involved in each state. "The BJP is taking these elections seriously because these will be the first it will face after coming to power at the Centre.’’
The leaders who had been made in charge of the states were Mr Venkaiah Naidu (Delhi), Mr Govindacharya (Rajasthan), Mr Narendra Modi (Madhya Pradesh) and Mr Padmanabh Acharya (Mizoram).
All efforts were being made to overcome obstacles in Rajasthan where the party had suffered heavily in the previous Lok Sabha elections, because of anti-establishment sentiments.

The party would exercise utmost caution in selecting the nominees and special care would be taken to pick capable candidates with good image and character, Mr Sharma said.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister George Fernandes, who met supremo J. Jayalalitha in Chennai yesterday, apprised Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of the parleys.
Shortly after his arrival from Chennai last night, Mr Fernandes gave the Prime Minister, the AIADMK leader’s version of the ongoing differences between the two sides.
Apart from the issue of the dismissal of the DMK Government in the state, the AIADMK leader was understood to have conveyed to Mr Fernandes a number of issues on which her party had reservations about the functioning of the BJP-led coalition.
She reportedly complained about the constraints under which her two ministers at the Centre were functioning.
The ministers were not in a position to even get the personal secretaries of their choice, she complained.
Minister of State for Coal Dilip Ray, who met her in Chennai yesterday was also understood to have met the Prime Minister and given his assessment of the situation.
HYDERABAD: The BJP on Sunday charged the Congress, the CPM and the CPI with trying to destabilise the Vajpayee Government and said a mid-term poll was the only way out if the BJP-led ministry fell.
"The Congress, the CPM and the CPI are trying to destabilise the government and there is a clandestine understanding between these parties to bring down the government," BJP general secretary Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.
"If not the Vajpayee Government, back to voters is the only solution but no one wants an election again now," Mr Naidu said.
There was no alternative to the Vajpayee Government, Mr Naidu said, and added that the Opposition was not behaving in "a constructive and responsible manner".

Amarnath yatra begins
Tribune News Service
JAMMU, July 5 — The one-month pilgrimage to the 13,600-foot high Amarnath cave in the eastern Kashmir started today with over 1,000 pilgrims, including scores of women and saffron-clad hermits, leaving Jammu amid tight security for Pahalgam.
Chanting "Jai Bhole Nath," the pilgrims boarded over 30 vehicles and the men of the Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF stood guard in the parade grounds till the last bus left. Right from Nagrota, 10 km east of Jammu, security forces have been deployed along the 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to ensure an incident-free trip.
The paramilitary forces and the Army had set up camps at several sensitive spots between Udhampur and Khanabal and from Khanabal to Pahalgam. At least six vehicles carrying police and paramilitary forces accompanied the first caravan of pilgrims on the 292-km long route from Jammu to the cave.
Senior civil and police officers were present at the Parade Grounds to see off the pilgrims. According to the government spokesman, more than 15,000 pilgrims have been registered at Jammu and two medical teams set up in the city to examine each pilgrim before issuing physical fitness certificates.
The Army and the paramilitary forces had carried out search operations in and around the holy cave, believed to be the aboard of Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, a week ago. The 46-km long mountain route from Pahalgam to the cave has been "sanitised " against militants and mines.

The Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, who visited the cave yesterday said elaborate security arrangements had been made. He said though no militant outfit had threatened to disrupt the pilgrimage, "We have left nothing to chance. We have kept adequate security personnel on duty to assist the infirm and old pilgrims to reach the cave and have darshan of the ice lingam without any difficulty".
The state government has made adequate arrangements for ponies, dandies and porters at Pahalgam. In addition, a tented colony at Pahalgam has been set up for the pilgrims. The authorities have been directed to regulate the movement of the pilgrims in such a way as there was no rush at any particular spot. Besides, the four medical camps set up between Pahalgam and the cave, two mobile medical units have been kept on duty to provide help.
At least 16 voluntary organisations and philanthropists from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal have been allotted different spots between Pahalgam and the cave for setting up foodstalls.
The yatra period has been spread over one month instead of one week to prevent a repeat of the 1996 tragic incident when over 18 pilgrims were killed in snowstorms. Since the government expects more than 60,000 pilgrims to visit the cave till August 8, the last date for the darshan of the ice lingam, private transporters have been asked to keep their fleet of buses and matadors ready whenever the government requisitioned them.
Official sources said that the security arrangements have been made strict between Batote and Banihal and between Qazigund and Pahalgam as these two areas are treated as militancy infested zones.
Since the past one week, the city of temples has turned into an abode of sadhus and hermits who have arrived in big numbers and are camping in different temples and in public places, waiting for their turn to reach the cave. Most of these sadhus have decided to travel along with the Chhari Mubarik, the silver mace, when it would be carried from Jammu to Srinagar in the beginning of the next month.

Pak bid to push in militants foiled, 22 dead
SRINAGAR, July 5 (PTI) — Army troops today frustrated yet another attempt by Pakistan to push armed militants into Jammu and Kashmir even as 22 persons, including 20 militants, mostly foreign mercenaries, were killed and three others wounded in the state since last evening.
A Defence Ministry spokesman said five heavily-armed Pakistani infiltrators were shot dead by Army troops in an operation at Tutmargali near the Line of Control in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara district today.
The militants, most of them foreigners, were attempting to sneak into the valley from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after being pushed this side by the Pak troops, the spokesman said.
With their killing, the total number of infiltrators shot dead by the Army in the sector since Thursday has gone up to 16, the spokesman said, adding that the four-day-long operation was still in progress when last reports were received.
Meanwhile, 11 militants, including nine foreign mercenaries and a self-styled battalion commander of the Tahriq-e-Jehad, Abdul Ahad Dar were killed by the troops of Dogra scouts in Budbangus forest in the Nowgam sector.
A huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including a universal machine gun, seven AK assault rifles, two pistols, 11 hand grenades and 20 kg of the deadly RDX explosive were seized from the slain militants, the spokesman said.

He said the militants had taken shelter in the forest area after they failed in their bid to sneak into the valley in view of water-tight security arrangements.
Terming the operation as a "major breakthrough", an official spokesman said the killing of the militants, including foreign mercenaries had dealt a "major blow" to the designs of Pakistan to escalate violence in the state.
This was the first major attempt by Pakistan to push militants into the valley this year and it comes close on the heels of intensified shelling and firing by Pak troops on forward Indian positions and villages last week, he said.
As many as 57 militants, including 14 foreign mercenaries, were eliminated by troops during various anti-militant operations in the valley during May and June, this year, the spokesman said, adding that June witnessed the maximum number of killings with 36 local ultras and 13 foreign mercenaries being killed during the month.
In another operation between militants and the Border Security Force (BSF), two hardcore militants of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen identified as Amin Punju, self-styled area commander and Shabir Ahmad, self-styled platoon commander were killed at Khui-Sultanpur in the Sumbal area of Baramula district last evening, the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the encounter broke out early yesterday when the BSF laid a siege of the village following information about the presence of militants there.
In the ensuing gun-battle between the hiding militants and the security forces which lasted the whole day, two militants were killed and two AK assault rifles, four grenades, a wireless set and a sten gun were seized from them, the spokesman said.

SAD warns Centre on Udham Singh Nagar
Tribune News Service
CHANDIGARH, July 5 — The political affairs committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today expressed concern and protested against the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in the new hill state of Uttranchal.
The committee warned the Centre against such a move saying "such a step will instil in the people of Udham Singh Nagar — mostly Punjabi settlers — a sense of alienation".
The SAD said there was no justification of including Udham Singh Nagar in the proposed state either from geographic or economic angle.
The panel said the situation was "serious and sensitive" and decided to send a high-powered delegation to Delhi again to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.
The committee chairman, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, told newspersons that the BJP would also be asked to be part of the delegation, which was expected to meet the Prime Minister and the Home Minister before July 10. The inclusion of Punjab MPs was not ruled out.
Mr Badal said there should be a referendum on Udham Singh Nagar. Moreover, Udham Singh Nagar was not a hill terrain but a plain area, he said.
The SAD would solicit the support of other like-minded parties he added.
When reminded that on June 26 he (Mr Parkash Singh Badal had categorically stated that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had said no decision would be taken against the wishes of the people, he said: "I stand by what I said, since that is what Mr Vajpayee conveyed to me when this issue was taken up with him in the past".
Out of the 12 members of the committee, three didnot attend the meeting. They are the Union Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi and Mr Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.
It may be recalled that the UP Assembly had earlier passed a resolution two years ago on the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in the new state. A Bill on the creation of new states is to be presented in Parliament shortly. When asked if the SAD would vote for or against the Bill, Mr Badal said: "Please don't jump to conclusions. We are meeting with the BJP leadership".
This is the first time that the committee has met on such an issue and passed a strongly-worded resolution, signalling SAD's "displeasure" with BJP's approach to certain issues, despite the SAD and the BJP being allies.

‘No misuse’ of Art 356 for political gains
LUCKNOW, July 5 (UNI, PTI) — The BJP chief, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today said the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu was bad but the political and constitutional problems did not allow the invoking of Article 356 in the southern state.
Talking to newspersons at the UP Press Club here, he said there was nothing like being pressured by Ms Jayalalitha. He made it clear that the BJP did not have the required majority in the Rajya Sabha and the decision of using Article 356 could be taken only after getting it passed from both Houses.
Mr Thakre, however, added that the BJP would never take recourse to Article 356 for political gains. After all we have been the sufferer of this in the past, he said.
Answering a question, the BJP chief said the law and order situation was worst in Bihar though it was not good in West Bengal also. But we will not like to dismiss these state governments because we are of the view that we should think 10 times before using Article 356, he added.
Mr Thakre said the BJP was fully committed to adhering to the national agenda of the Vajpayee government as far as the Ayodhya temple issue was concerned.
The construction of a temple devoted to Lord Rama at Ayodhya was one of the main agenda of the BJP’s manifesto in the Lok Sabha elections “but we have given it up while formulating the national agenda and we are committed to the same.”
“As the BJP president, I am signatory to this agenda and there is no dispute on this count in the coordination committee of the alliance partners as well,” he said.
He said the coalition government, headed by Mr Vajpayee, had some compulsions but at present it was firmly in the saddle without any major problems.
“Our coalition government is better than that of the United Front because we have been able to handle various issues more firmly and decisively,” he said.

PM, Jaya should sink differences: Barnala
NEW DELHI, July 5 (PTI) — The Akali Dal leader and Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala has suggested that Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and AIADMK General Secretary, Ms Jayalalitha should hold a ‘mini summit’ immediately to sort out their differences as there was a need for a ‘more cohesive’ government.
Accepting that people might be thinking that Ms Jaylalitha was holding the government to ransom, Mr Barnala in an interview to Home-TV, agreed there were difficulties and said the two leaders should meet to sort out their problems.
“There are difficulties sometimes.... I myself feel that it should be a more cohesive government,” he said, adding that at times it seemed the allies of the BJP were giving priority to their state over the national interest.
“Too much of pressure weakens the government some times. That is why the allies should avoid it to the extent possible,” he said, according to a press release issued by the private TV channel.
Asked for his advice to the allies, Mr Barnala said “people are expecting a lot from this government, but a lot can be done only if we act cohesively, if we act in a more befitting manner.”
He said when there was a coalition of so many parties, some give and take had to be done. “It is sometimes not happening,” he remarked.
About his advice to the BJP, the Akali Dal leader spoke about the need “to be more liberal”, adding that statements by partymen on issues like Ayodhya sometimes created problems and the feeling that there was a hidden agenda or a secret agenda.
Mr Barnala said the Prime Minister or Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani should take a more effective stand in controlling their party.
Praising Mr Vajpayee’s leadership as Prime Minister, he said: “He is doing very well. He is acting as a good Prime Minister, a Prime Minister that India needs.”
With specific reference to Ms Jayalalitha’s charge that Mr Vajpayee did not allow AIADMK ministers to operate freely, Mr Barnala said he had not encountered such problems. “I know the Prime Minister. He doesn’t interfere in anybody’s working’’, he said.
Describing as needless Mr Jaswant Singh’s statement that India would be prepared to discuss the Line of Control (LoC) issue if Pakistan raised it, he said “according to the Simla Agreement we are willing to talk at any place, any time, any subject and the LoC can be one of those subjects also.
“When we start talking about Kashmir, why not talk it whole hog,” Mr Barnala said.

FERA discharge plea turned down
NEW DELHI, July 5 (PTI) - A Delhi court has refused to discharge an accused in a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation case despite being exonerated by the enforcement Directorate (ED) in the departmental adjudication proceedings.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal in an order passed this week said "prosecution proceedings are purely judicial in nature wherein strict rules, evidence and procedure are followed while ED’s adjudication proceedings are quasi-judicial."
Dismissing an application for discharge, moved by accused Munna Lal Khandelwal after he was exonerated along with others of FERA violation charges by the ED in a case of unauthorised dealing of foreign exchange over Rs 1 crore during 1993, she said the plea of the accused was not "maintainable."
The other accused are: Prem Prakash, J.P. Gupta, Rameshwar Dass Gupta, Kapil Dutt Bali, Suram Singh and Deep Chand.
Agreeing with the contention of special public prosecutor Naveen Matta that adjudication and criminal proceedings in the court could continue simultaneously, the ACMM observed that "the prosecution cannot be

dropped on the sole plea that the applicant has been exonerated by the adjudicating authority."
Relying upon the latest judgement of the Supreme Court in this regard, the ACMM did not agree with the applicant’s plea that he was liable to be dischargd after being cleared by the ED in it’s departmental adjudication.
The case came to light after the recovery of Rs 50 lakh by the ED from Suram Singh and Deep Chand in Punjab while they were travelling in a car. Following their arrest, the ED unearthed transaction of over Rs 1 crore by the accused.
The ED in its complaint had alleged that these persons were receiving instructions from some money dealers of Dubai and London.
The ED claimed to have seized Rs 12 lakh from Khandelwal’s shop in Chandni Chowk. He had been working as a silver broker for quite some time and allegedly had been making unauthorised payments to various persons from time to time, according to the ED case.
However, the Directorate in an adjudication order passed on September 6, 1996, exonerating Khandelwal of the charges, agreed with his plea that he, as a silver broker, imported the metal under the NRI scheme and handed over the sale proceeds to persons nominated by the importers.
However, the ED special prosecutor Matta challenged the application of Khandelwal contending that criminal proceedings and departmental adjudication against him were independent of each other. "It cannot be said that he will be acquitted of the criminal liabilities," he argued.
He said the proceedings before the court were still at the stage of inquiry and it had to consider the material placed by the prosecution at the time of framing of the charges, including the adjudication order. Therefore, the discharge plea was not maintainable at this stage, he said.
Prosecution proceedings, judicial in nature, have to be examined on merit by strictly following rule of evidence and procedure, while departmental adjudication was quasi-judical governed by the adjudicating proceedings and appeal rule, 1974, Matta said.
Trilok Kumar, counsel for the accused had contended that the same allegation and evidence were marshalled during the adjudication proceedings on which his client was facing trial in the court.
But, the magistrate did not agree with his contention and observed that trial proceedings against the accused would continue.

West Asia: Arab leaders call for initiative
CAIRO, July 5 (PTI) — Three leading Arab leaders today urged Israel to give up its expansion plans for Jerusalem "immediately" and called for a Franco-Egyptian initiative to convene an international conference to help revive the deadlocked West Asia peace process.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan’s King Hussein and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at a "mini-summit" here discussed at length ways to break the deadlock in the peace efforts and blamed Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for the breakdown of the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
They said the deadlock could be broken only by abiding the Madrid peace conference and stressed the need for setting up an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The three leaders at the end of the three-way summit told a press conference that stability could never be realised except by granting the Palestinians their legitimate rights.
Mr Mubarak said the present Israeli policy would not lead to stability.
"Stability can be realised only by peace and giving the Palestinians their rights," he said and warned the Israelis against "playing with fire".

"Playing with the Jerusalem issue is playing with fire that has not been extinguished because Jerusalem does not interest the Muslim world only but the Christian and Jewish worlds as well," he said.
Mr Mubarak said they backed a Franco-Egyptian initiative to convene an international convention of supporters of peace to help revive the Palestinian-Israeli process deadlocked since March 1997.
"If the US initiative did not bear fruit, we could resort to the Egyptian-French initiative for salvaging the West Asia peace process or else an Arab summit can be held," he said.
The Arab leaders also reviewed the efforts made by the USA, the main sponsor of the peace process.
Talks between Palestinians and Israelis broke down after Israel began construction of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians hoped would be their future capital.
The USA had proposed that Israel should withdraw its troops from 13 per cent of the West Bank. Though the Palestinians had accepted this proposal, Israel was yet to agree to it. Recently, the Israeli Premier had proposed that there should be a referendum in his country on the issue.
Mr Mubarak, King Hussein and Mr Arafat also discussed the grave situation resulting from the intransigence of the Israeli Government which had led to a halt on negotiations on all Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian peace talks.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting said that this situation would lead to balking all chances for achieving just and comprehensive peace in the region and warned that this would drag the region into instability and tension.
Mr Mubarak had said that the present situation was "very difficult" and feared that "violence will erupt if the situation continues in this manner."
The communique also appreciated the role of the European Union which conformed with the international legitimacy and the terms of reference of the Madrid peace conference held in October 1991.

JERUSALEM (Reuters): Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised Palestinian ire today when he said Israel would not agree to open a key Gaza road where a tense standoff took place last week.
"He (Netanyahu) should read the agreements and understand what is written in these agreements before making such comments that are meaningless," Palestinian President Yasser Arafat told reporters in Gaza.
Mr Arafat was reacting to an Israeli Cabinet statement issued earlier, which said Mr Netanyahu told ministers "Israel would not agree to the request of Palestinians on the subject of roads in light of the use of violence".
Mr Netanyahu had accused the Palestinians, who blocked last Thursday a coastal road near Jewish settlements for 12 hours, as attempting to "use force" unilaterally to change agreed rights of passage in the strip.

Talks to form govt on: Laloo
PATNA, July 5 (PTI) — Rashtriya Janata Dal President Laloo Prasad Yadav said today talks were in progress with several political parties to form an alternative government at the Centre.
Making a call to all “secular forces” to dislodge the Vajpayee government “for the cause of social justice,” he said the central government had “failed” on all fronts.
Inaugurating a function to mark the first anniversary of the RJD, Mr Yadav accused the Centre of straining relations with the neighbouring countries and “destabilising the country’s unity and integrity”.
Referring to the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), he expressed confidence that the front would be successful in its fight against forces “inimical to social justice and communal harmony”.
The RJD president alleged the Janata Dal was working as “an agent” of the BJP-Samata combine which was out to “break the country’s unity into pieces”.
Mr Yadav favoured reservation for women belonging to minority communities and the weaker sections of society in the proposed reservation Bill for them.Mr Yadav said prices of commodities had skyrocketted affecting the weaker sections of society.
The RJD would fight the future elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, Mr Yadav said.
“A common programme of the two parties which launched the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha last month are being chartered out... and we will soon make announcement,” Mr Yadav said.

Show-cause notices unwarranted: Pawar
NEW DELHI, July 5 (UNI) — Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Sharad Pawar has termed "unwarranted" the show-cause notices issued to 10 party mlas in Maharashtra in connection with the recent Rajya Sabha cross-voting episode.
Mr Pawar told a private channel in an interview from Mumbai that the 10 mlas who had signed for former state Home Minister Arun Mehta for the Legislative Council seat were not to be faulted as they had signed on "blank form" in good faith and the state party had used that in favour of Mr Mehta. It was the responsibility of the state party, he said.
Meanwhile, aicc General Secretary and Maharashtra affair incharge Madhav Rao Scindia said the show-cause notices were issued on the basis of ‘certain actions’ of the legislators. It is quite possible that they might have legitimate explanations and we don’t want to jump to conclusions , he remarked.
The defeat of former Home Secretary R.D. Pradhan has been viewed very seriously by the Congress and it had dispatched to Maharashtra a three-member high-level team headed by Mr Vijaybhaskara Reddy. Based on its report, the party had issued show-cause notices to Mr Praful Patel, a close associate of Mr Pawar, and Mr Satish Chaturvedi, MLA. The latter has been suspended from the party’s primary membership for not replying to the notice.