Thursday, November 19, 1998

Technical team visiting Islamabad
NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — A technical team is likely to visit Islamabad in the next 15 days to finalise an Indo-Pak agreement paving the way for the launch of the much awaited Delhi-Lahore bus service.

70 houses set ablaze in Assam
GUWAHATI, Nov 18 — At least four persons were killed in a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence in Nalbari district of Assam today, official sources said.

BJD crisis
Naveen suspends Mohapatra

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 18 (PTI) — Senior dissident leader Bijay Mohapatra and two Lok Sabha members of the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa were today suspended, further deepening the feud in the crisis-ridden party over the leadership of Union Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Armed by the decision of an Executive Committee meeting boycotted by the dissidents, Mr Naveen Patnaik suspended Mr Mohapatra on a charge of anti-party activities.

The BJD Lok Sabha members Tathagat Satpathy and Prabhat Samantaray, who had joined 15 rebel MLAs and two other MPs in boycotting the Executive Committee meeting yesterday, were also put under suspension, party sources said.

Mr Naveen Patnaik’s crackdown on Mr Mohapatra and the two MPs came after shaky patch-up efforts involving the party President and senior rebel leader V. Sugnana Kumari Deo failed to produce results.

Soon after the suspension of Mr Mohapatra and the two MPs, the dissident MLAs and MPs held a meeting to decide their next course of action as Orissa’s main opposition party, a constituent of the BJP-led government at the Centre, faced the prospects of an organisational split barely a year after its formation.

Mr Naveen Patnaik had earlier expelled five of the 15 party MLAs who split the 27-member BJD Legislature Party removing Naveen loyalist Rama Krishna Patnaik as Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.

In a separate development indicating that the rift in the party was widening, 12 of the 27-member BJDLP met last night and re-elected Rama Krishna Patnaik as their leader and petitioned Speaker Chintamani Dyan Samantara for restoring the status of Leader of the Opposition to Patnaik.

The Speaker has already notified the post of Leader of the Opposition to Prafulla Samal who was elected leader by the dissident MLAs.

Rama Krishna Patnaik told reporters here this morning that since BJD President Naveen Patnaik had expelled five of the 15 dissident MLAs they were no longer members of the Legislature Party, the effective strength of which came down to 22.

Since 12 of these MLAs had re-elected him leader, the Speaker should confirm him as the leader of the "majority" group and also restore him as Leader of the Opposition, he contended.

Patnaik told a questioner that notices for the legislature party meeting yesterday had been issued to all 22 legislators except the expelled five by the BJDLP secretary Sachidananda Dalal.

"I feel that the decision of the 10 MLAs not to attend the Legislature Party meeting yesterday was an act of indiscipline", he said.

Prominent rebel MLA, Amar Satpathy, however, denied any notice had been received by the MLAs who had elected Samal as their leader.

Indo-Nepal treaty may become permanent
From Tripti Nath
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — The Indo-Nepal treaty on trade and transit, due to terminate on December 5, is likely to get a permanent status with the two sides inclined to drop the renewal clause.

This was indicated on the first day of the ongoing trade talks between commerce secretaries of the two countries and other senior officials. The talks will conclude tomorrow.

Sources in the Nepalese Embassy said the two sides had, in principle, agreed to drop the clause which necessitates renewal of the agreement every five years. The automatic renewal provision will also save both sides the formality of renewing the treaty every five years.

According to the sources, the Indian side was likely to give Nepal permanent access to sea for Nepalese imports and exports. The Indian side had also agreed to provide passage for trade between Nepal and Bangladesh and Nepalese trade through Bangladesh to a third country.

At present, Nepal is exporting oilseeds, agricultural products, ghee, carpets, garments and herbs.

At the same time, the two sides are holding discussions to evolve an information mechanism to curb smuggling and deflection of goods through the trade route and the porous Indo-Nepal border.

The mechanism would entail the creation of a joint body that would keep a watch on cargo movement at entry and exit points.

Pens, mobile telephones, cameras, fabric yarns and gold are presently being smuggled from Nepal to India. These include goods imported by Nepal from a third nation.

Apart from strengthening India’s ties with the Himalayan kingdom, the permanent arrangement will have a positive impact on foreign direct investments to Nepal.

The sources told TNS that India’s decision to give Nepal permanent trade access to sea satisfies Nepal’s long-standing demand. A landlocked country, Nepal has for long been pressing the inclusion of the provisions of international law. The United Nations has also been asking India to recognise the right of geographically disadvantaged and landlocked countries to carry out trade through sea with any country in the world.

CBI fails to give papers to ASG

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today pulled up the CBI for not handing over records relating to the Reliance-Enron project case to the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) despite his specific request.

A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice K.S. Gupta hearing two public interest petitions against a deal with the Reliance-Enron Consortium on the Panna-Mukta oil fields deal said, "we are shocked at the attitude of the CBI in not making the records available to the ASG."

"In absence of the records, we appreciate the difficulty of ASG C.S. Vaidyanathan in helping the court," the Bench said.

The stricture against the CBI came while the Bench wanted a specific information from the ASG whether the government had done a comparative study on the financial implications of the deal before inviting tenders.

Mr Vaidyanathan said as per the policy of privatisation approved by the government in 1992 such a study was necessary. But he was not in a position to tell the court specifically if it was done in the present case in the absence of records, Mr Vaidyanathan said.

The Centre for Public Interest Litigations counsel, Mr Prashant Bhushan, who filed the petition in the case, concluding his arguments accused certain CBI officials of "scuttling" the probe into the deal.

The petitioner alleged that the contract was signed with "ulterior motives" under pressure from the then Petroleum Minister Capt Satish Sharma, in 1994.

The court directed the CBI to immediately hand over the record to the ASG so that he may prepare the case for tomorrow’s hearing.

Concluding his arguments, Mr Bhushan requested the court to either refer the case to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) so that it could devise a mechanism to investigate it or appoint a retired judge to supervise the probe under an independent agency as "CBI’s conduct in this case is under cloud."

Mr Bhushan had yesterday accused Mr Sharma of receiving Rs 4 crore as bribe from the Reliance industry for deciding the deal in its favour.

He said the then Maharashtra region Joint Director of the CBI had "deliberately" sat on a file known as "part-II file" relating to the case, prepared in 1996 by agency’s SP Y.P. Singh, who was in charge of the investigation.

Mr Y.P. Singh in his report had recommended registration of a regular FIR in the case, but his report was not forwarded to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi by Mumbai-based DIG of the agency, Mr Bhushan said, adding that this fact was admitted by the CBI later in an affidavit before this court.

At one stage, the DIG had reported that no part-II file ever existed, but later the agency in its affidavit admitted that the file was there but was not traceable, he said.

The agency later came with a new theory that Y.P. Singh himself had destroyed the file, Mr Bhushan said, adding that this was an "absurd" allegation as Mr Singh had strongly recommended registration of the case.

The petitioner alleged fully developed Panna-Mukta oil fields with estimated 31 million tonne oil reserves were handed over on a 25-year lease to the consortium for a paltry "pass over" amount of Rs 12 crore.

Honour for President’s Bodyguard
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — President K.R. Narayanan today asked officers and soldiers of the President’s Bodyguard to develop professional competence, as the nation looked upon the armed forces for courage, commitment and professionalism.

“The President’s Bodyguard is the only unit anywhere to be fully trained as horsemen, paratroopers, tankmen and in ceremonial duties. It has earned a reputation for itself,” President Narayanan said in his address to the bodyguards after presenting the silver trumpet and President’s banner to them.

This is the ninth time that the silver trumpet and the banner was being presented by the President since Independence to the regiment.

The President’s Bodyguard, the seniormost wing of the Indian Army, is celebrating completion of its 225 years of service.

President Narayanan said as the people looked up to the Armed Forces, “It is therefore imperative for each one of you to continually develop your professional competence and endeavour to achieve higher and greater standards of excellence. I am happy to have such an impressive body of men as my personal bodyguard.”

Systematic wooing in Matia Mahal
From Syed Ali Ahmed

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — The candidates of the Congress Party and the Janata Dal are campaigning in a systematic way to woo the voters of Matia Mahal Muslim-dominated Assembly constituency.

They take out processions every day, distribute leaflets, flags and organise corner meetings in the area. Flags are hanged in markets and streets. Posters are pasted on the walls in the walled city area.

The main contenders in this constituency are Aziz Ahmed of the Congress and sitting MLA, Shoaib Iqbal of the Janata Dal and Mohammad Aslam of the BJP.

They begin their campaigning from early in the morning and end it after midnight.

The Congress candidate says he leaves his house at 8 am and makes a round of the entire constituency which constitutes areas from the Turkman Gate to Salim Garh and Yamuna Pushta. Thereafter, he goes to his election office in Churiwalan to review the activities of the previous day.

In the afternoon he organises corner meetings in the different localities. At 5 p.m. he takes out a procession every day in which various kinds of slogans are shouted.

Having made such a tight campaigning schedule he has not been able to woo the Muslim voters. He says whenever he enters a Muslim- dominated area of the constituency, he finds them very emotional. They hold the Congress Party responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Hardly 30 per cent of the Muslim voters would likely to vote in his favour.

He says he has his hold in the Hindu- dominated localities like Darya Ganj, Delhi Gate, Tiraha Bairam Khan, Churiwalan, Chhatta Lalmian, Salimgarh Colony and Yamuna Pushta.

He fears booth capturing in polling stations in Kucha Chelan and Suiwalan areas of the walled city.

The sitting MLA of the constituency, Shoaib Iqbal of the Janata Dal, says he begins his campaigning just after the morning prayer. He completes his round in the entire area till 10 a.m. and goes to his election office located in Kala Mahal. Many ladies are there involved in election work with him.

Thereafter he makes the schedule of the day. He organises corner meetings in different areas of the constituency where he makes the people realise about the work he has done during the past five years. He ensures them that if he is voted to power again he will do more work for the people.

He makes promise that he will try to maintain communal harmony in the locality. He says he will pursue the government to give financial help to the poor residents of the area. Besides, more allopathic dispensaries and schools will be opened in the constituency.

He takes out processions in the evening in which a large number of his supporters participate. He ends his campaigning programme late in the night.

The Matia Mahal Assembly constituency falls in the heart of the walled city. The number of electorates in the constituency are 80,000. Of them 70 per cent are Muslims. The constituency segments are Darya Ganj, Tiraha Bairam Khan, Chhatta Lal Mian, Suiwalan, Ganjmir Khan, Turkman Gate, Chitli Qabar, Bazaar Matia Mahal, Motor Market in Jama Masjid area, Chandni Mahal, Kala Mahal, Pataudi House, Kucha Chelan, Kucha Dakhini Rai, Salim Garh Railway Colony and Yamuna Pushta.

Rajasthan Assembly poll
BJP promises wheat at Rs 4 per kg
From Milap Chand Dandia

JAIPUR, Nov 18 — The ruling BJP has promised that on return to power it would provide wheat to the poor at the rate of Rs 4 per kg in Rajasthan.

It has also promised to provide reservation to all economically and socially backward people irrespective of their caste and creed. The party said the reservation bonanza would be in addition to the existing ones.

Party’s state President Raghuveer Singh Kaushal while releasing the manifesto said that “we are a responsible party and know that we will have to implement whatever we promise”. He said during the previous Vidhan Sabha elections the party had made 36 promises. It had fulfilled all, but two. The two were: universal primary education and setting up of a human rights commission and women’s commission. These too would be implemented after the elections, he said.

Mired with an all round attack over rise in prices of onion, potato, cooking oil, etc the BJP in Rajasthan has now come out with a large number of sops for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, youth, poor, farmers, women, minorities and all other sections of the society.

For persons below the poverty line, Mr Kaushal said that presently wheat was being sold to them at Rs 5.10 per kg. The state would subsidise wheat to be sold through the public distribution system so that they get it Rs 4 per kg only. Persons in this category will be entitled to free medical tests too.

For the benefit of the farmers the government would set up a farmers welfare fund with an initial capital of Rs 500 crore. Kisan Jeevan Kalyan Yojna has been conceived to help the farmers suffering from serious ailments. The party has promised free land allotment to poor farmers and ex-army men, the credit CARDS scheme for the farmers will also be implemented.

The manifesto says that it would create one lakh additional job opportunities for the youth every year and will spend a sum of Rs 100 crore annually for the same.

It has also promised to provide training and financial assistance to women entrepreneurs. In every district a Mahila Bank, a Mahila Thana in every tehsil would be set up.

The minimum wage will be linked to the price index. A commission would be appointed to make recommendations about formation of new districts and tehsils in the state.

The party has promised that tribesmen in possession of any land for 10 years would not be dispossessed. Residential schools would be set up in tribal and Scheduled Caste dominated areas. Filling of half the government jobs in tribal areas by locals will be made mandatory.

The party has also promised that financial grants to schools run by minorities.

Kaushal ridiculed the Congress recently released election manifesto saying that it shows that it was not serious about the same. The Congress has promised to link all villages with a population up to 1000 with roads. This was one of the points in our previous manifesto and already stands implemented. Will they rebuild the same roads again? he asked. We are now promising to link villages up to 500 population with roads. The Congress has promised in their current manifesto to commission Suratgarh Power Station by February next year unmindful of the fact that the Suratgarh plant was already under production for the past three months. Will they recommission the already commissioned plant? he asked.

EC reviews Delhi poll arrangements
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — The Election Commission and the Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, today reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming Delhi Assembly poll on November 25.

Among those who attended the high-level meeting were Delhi Chief Secretary, Mr Omesh Saigal, Deputy Election Commissioner, Mr Subash Pani, Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer, Mr O.P. Kelkar and senior Delhi officials.

Mr Kapoor asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that the election personnel were fully trained and proper coordination was kept with the election observers appointed by the Centre, a Raj Nivas press note said.

Since electronic voting machines were being used in six Assembly segments for the first time, an extensive training programme was started from today to impart training to personnel deployed on election duty. Demonstrations of the electronic voting machines would be held for the benefit of the voters from November 20.

Polling parties have been constituted and kits of election material are being prepared. Ballot boxes were ready for transportation to polling booths, the Lt-Governor was informed.

Officials in the Election Commission said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the New Delhi Municipal Council have been asked to keep a regular watch on the candidates for violation of the model code of conduct, including defacing public properties with wall writings and posters. They added that a close watch on the law and order situation was being kept to prevent any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, the Society for Free Election has been formed under the interim chairmanship of Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, the National Human Rights Commission Chairman, to campaign against poll malpractices.

The Society welcomed the decision of the Election Commission to introduce electronic voting machines in select constituencies in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and expressed hope that the scope of using such machines for conduct of all elections, including those for panchayats and other local bodies, would be used.

Kashmiri Pandits to back Congress
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — Following various Sikh bodies pledging to vote in favour of the BJP, a group of Kashmiri Pandit organisations met the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ms Sheila Dikshit, today to express their support to the party.

The Kashmiri Pandit organisations stated that the BJP was ‘not paying attention’ to the problems of displaced Kashmiri people, and hoped that the Congress ‘may do something’ for them.

A delegation of the Kashmiri Displaced Peoples United Front (KDPUF), an apex body of six Kashmiri Pandit organisations, today met Ms Dikshit and promised to support the party in the coming assembly poll in Delhi.

The DPCC president reportedly assured the delegation that she would look into the migrants’ problems as mentioned in a memorandum submitted to her.

The spokesman for the KDPUF, Mr Ashok Kak, said, “We had high hopes from the BJP, but that party has done nothing for us even after coming to power at the Centre.... Our repeated petitions to the BJP leaders, asking them to look into our problems, have fallen on deaf ears.”

He alleged that the BJP had taken the migrants for granted as they had “not fulfilled any of their umpteen promises”.

Several Kashmiri leaders campaigned for the BJP during the 1993 assembly poll in Delhi, besides the Lok Sabha elections of 1996 and 1998.

The memorandum requested Ms Dikshit to consider their demands “sympathetically so that Kashmiri Pandit migrants are able to sustain and survive”.

The demands put forward by the delegation include allotment of shops to displaced people, advancement of loans to displaced traders, enhancement of relief as per the current requirements, besides reservation for displaced students in professional institutes.

Meanwhile, the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today alleged that the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, had “insulted” the Sikh community by drawing a comparison between the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the riots after Partition in 1947.

The President of the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal), Mr Avtar Singh Hit, condemned the National Akali Dal for presenting a siropa to Mrs Gandhi and described it as a “senseless gesture”.

Describing the Congress as “a communal party”, Mr Hit accused the party of initiating the Ayodhya issue and said “if the BJP was interested in constructing the temple, it could have done that in the past eight months they have been in power at the Centre”.

He said the party President, Mr Parkash Singh Badal will address public meetings in Tilak Nagar, Jangpura and Gandhi Nagar on November 21 to campaign for the BJP. Mr Badal would also attend a Sikh convention the same day.

Poll to affect BJP coalition: Cong
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — The Congress today stated the results of the forthcoming Assembly elections would have a long term impact on the country’s politics and its effect will not be restricted to four states.

Commenting on the BJP’s performance during the past eight-month rule at the Centre the Congress spokesman, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar described the ruling party as another name of instability.

He said the first effect of the poll results would be on its allies like the Samata Party, AIADMK, Trinamool Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Lok Shakti. All of whom the Congress spokesman said were displeased with the major coalition partner, the BJP.

Talking on the BJP’s 1998 poll plank of providing an "able leadership and stable government" the Congress said all it requires is to take a peep into history and realise what the government has done. "The government has failed at every stage," the spokesman said.

The spokesman said the BJP has been unable to reconcile to the fact that people are upset with its performance and claimed just as the "Congress is the natural party of governance, the BJP is an unnatural party".

The party spokesperson said there have been "numerous scandals" during the past five years the BJP has been in power in Delhi.

It was critical of the statements by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to "divert attention" from investigations going into the alleged links of the Chief Minister of Delhi and her husband with Romesh Sharma, who is being probed for being a frontman for Dubai-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

On the charges by the BJP that several scams and scandals afflicted the previous Congress regime, the party spokesman said the government instead of unearthing the truth since it has been in power for the past eight months was raising these issues only during the elections.

Referring to the BJP’s claim that the party had cleared the way for formation of a separate Chhatisgarh state, the Congress spokesman said the ruling party in its desperation to woo voters has ceased to distinguish between "myth and reality".

The Congress spokesman said way back in 1924 the party’s Raipur district had first raised the demand for a separate state of Chhatisgarh and even in the 1993 manifesto Congress had promised to carve out a separate state.

The party said it was on account of its commitment that the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh convened a special session of the State Assembly to pass a resolution for the Chhatisgarh state.

"Unlike other proposals for separate states like Uttarakhand or Uttaranchal and Jharkhand or Vananchal which have run into trouble, the process was smooth in the case of Chhatisgarh because the Congress was in majority in Madhya Pradesh,’’ the party’s other spokesperson Mrs Ambika Soni said.

Technical team visiting Islamabad
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 18 — A technical team is likely to visit Islamabad in the next 15 days to finalise an Indo-Pak agreement paving the way for the launch of the much awaited Delhi-Lahore bus service.

Pakistan has suggested dates for the visit of the Indian team, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs said here today adding that New Delhi would be informing Islamabad the dates for talks during which details of the proposed bus service would be worked out.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs is taking a positive view of the last week's first round of Indo-Pak composite dialogue with officials pointing to convergence of views of the two sides on areas like repatriation of civilian prisoners and release of fishermen from each other’s custody.

Not only that the two countries have agreed to continue to talk in February next year, but there has also been convergence of views between the two sides on drug trafficking, exchange of information on trade and commerce, sources in the ministry said.

70 houses set ablaze in Assam

GUWAHATI, Nov 18 (PTI) — At least four persons were killed in a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence in Nalbari district of Assam today, official sources said.

The killings took place in a clash between Bodos and non-Bodos at Bongaon village on the Nalbari-Barpeta district border following the murder of a timber merchant last night by Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) militants.

Tension prevailed in Barama area since yesterday when the police recovered the body of the merchant Naba Thakuria who was abducted by the BLT ultras from a bus recently, the sources said.

Two Bodos hacked to death a Santhal at Dabragaon of Kokrajhar district while Santhals torched 70 houses belonging to the Bodos at Garokata and Adlabari villages.

Campaign against untouchability
CHENNAI: With a view to eradicate the evil of untouchability still prevalent in several villages of Tamil Nadu, the state government has decided to produce animation films, apart from slides to be telecast over big and small screens. An official release said 1999 would be declared as the year for social and communal harmony. It said the state government had decided to enlist popular filmstars and leaders of various caste and religious communities to campaign against untouchability — UNI

Youth dies in custody
JAIPUR: A youth who was arrested in a theft case on Monday night died in police custody in Brahmpuri police station area here on Tuesday. Police sources said the youth — Pappu Mali — of Jaisinghpura Khor village was arrested by the Brahmpuri police station party. The accused fell sick late on Monday night and was rushed to the S.M.S. Hospital here early on Tuesday, where he was declared dead. — UNI

Naidu in ‘Dream Cabinet’
HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu figures in the “Dream Cabinet” 1998, a cover feature of the latest issue of the London-based “World Link”, economic magazine. The Editor-in-Chief of World Link, Lance Knobel in a letter to Mr Naidu along with the cover page and excerpts of the main story a copy of which was circulated to press here, said, “you were selected as one of our ministers of the year in the cover feature of our November/December issue”. In a brief note on Mr Naidu, the magazine showered praises on the Chief Minister of the south central Indian state, for his vision and penchant for information technology. — PTI

Prison riot in Bareilly jail
LUCKNOW: Prisoners in the district jail, Bareilly, went on the rampage after taking the deputy jailor and ten others hostage, official reports here said. The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into last Sunday’s clashes and asked for a report within four days, an official release quoting Chief Minister Kalyan Singh said. — PTI

Vegetarian of the year
PUNE: Dr Kalyan Gangwal, a city-based physician, has been selected for this Year’s ‘The Vegetarian of the year’ award instituted by the international vegetarian society. The award will be presented to Dr Gangwal at a function in Mumbai on November 27 by Dr D R Mehta, chief, Securities and Exchange Board of India, a release said here on Tuesday. — UNI

Independent wins UP council seat
GARHWAL: Dr Indira Hridesh of the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh (Sharma group) retained the Garhwal-Kumaon teachers’ seat of the state legislative council defeating her nearest rival Hari Sati (Independent) by a margin of over 5500 votes. This is Haridesh’s fourth consecutive victory. Out of the total 11746 valid votes polled, Haridesh polled 7787, the election office said. The BJP supported candidate Jai Shanker Pandey, who polled 243 votes, came a poor fourth. — PTI

Nehru journalism award
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cherukara Sunny Lukose of ‘Kerala Sabdam’ has been selected for this year’s Nehru Peace Foundation Award for Journalism. The award carries a citation, a statuette and Rs 10001 in cash. The award will be presented by Kerala Assembly Speaker M. Vijayakumar at a function here next month. —PTI