Monday, October 26, 1998

Bihar minister quits, recants
PATNA, Oct 25 — In a dramatic move, the Bihar Minister for Law, Mr Deonath Prasad, tonight withdrew his resignation from the Cabinet within 24 hours of submitting it.

PM’s package gimmick: Cong
NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — The Congress today criticised the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s economic package announced yesterday at the FICC annual meeting saying that it was a political gimmick which would not "kickstart the economy".

Education conference: Cong welcomes decisions
NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — The Congress today welcomed the decisions taken at the recently concluded conference of the state Ministers of Education saying that it has “restored the national consensus on education”.

CPI leader flays anti-women stance
CALCUTTA, Oct 25 — Close on the heels of CPM leader Brinda Karat’s refusal to accept nomination to the central committee citing gender discrimination in the party, veteran CPI leader Geeta Mukherjee has said that their male comrades are reluctant to share power with women.

‘Romesh Sharma had links with Dawood’
NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — Self-styled politician Romesh Sharma, now in custody in connection with several criminal cases including those of kidnapping and cheating, had links with Dubai-based underworld Dawood Ibrahim, the police said here today.

Defamation case: Kesri seeks stay
NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — Former Congress President Sitaram Kesri has filed a petition with the Delhi District Judge M.A. Khan requesting him to stay proceedings in a defamation case, filed by the RSS against Mr Kesri in the court of Delhi’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Prem Kumar, till two other outstation cases of similar nature come up for hearing before the DJ.

Zee TV murder case suspect surrenders
HYDERABAD, Oct 25 — The prime suspect in the sensational murder case of Zee TV Resident Director P. Ramakrishna today surrendered before police at Guntur, according to information reaching here.

Trinamool activists torch buses

CALCUTTA, Oct 25 (PTI) — Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today sat on a dharna here in protest against her being "manhandled" by the police, a charge which was denied by the city police.

Infuriated by the alleged police assault on their leader, party activists torched two buses, blocked road and rail traffic at various points of the city and its suburbs today causing inconvenience to commuters.

Denying any assault, the Deputy Commissioner Police (South) Mr R. Pachananda, said 10 Trinamool supporters, including three women councillors, were rounded up from South city’s Gariahat area after they set ablaze two buses and badly damaged another.

The incident occurred following eviction of some "illegal occupants" of a 100-year-old building at South End park by the police as the Trinamool Congress founder resisted the move with a large number of her supporters.

The police, armed with a court order, was assisting the first land acquisition collector in evicting about 82 families living in the palatial building since 1947, the sources said.

Ms Banerjee, flanked by her party MPs Krishna Bose and Sudip Bandopadhyay, BJP state Vice-President Paras Dutta and General Secretary Rahul Sinha, also alleged that the land acquisition collector and the police violated court order.

She threatened to move a contempt petition against them and launch "mass movement" against "police high-handedness". Ms Banerjee said she might meet the state Governor, Mr A.R. Kidwai and "detail him" of today’s incident.

Ms Pachananda, however, squarely blamed Ms Banerjee for "interfering with the police on duty and instigating the people".

A large posse of policemen cordoned off the sprawling area and at times chased Trinamool supporters.

Ms Banerjee claimed that Bedi Bhavan was a “heritage structure” and the state government had failed to protect it “by ordering its demolition”.

Meanwhile, the Governor was detained for a while due to road blocks while returning from Chandernagore in Hooghly district where he had gone to inaugurate a puja.

Unruly Trinamool Congress supporters squatted on tracks on both Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway, disrupting suburban and long-distance train services.

An S.E railway Spokesman said the Up-Howrah-Madras Coromondal Express, and the Up- Bangalore-Guwahati Express were stranded at Bagnan station since 1410 hours after 200 slogan-shouting Trinamool activists squatted on tracks.

Besides, four long-distance trains, including the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani Express, were detained at Kharagpur, Panskura and Deulti stations.

The police removed squatters from 21 important intersections in the city. Panic gripped several areas with shopkeepers downing shutters and vehicles going off the roads.

Vajpayee’s stern warning to hoarders

UDAIPUR, Oct 25 (UNI, PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today warned hoarders and blackmarketeers of stern action and assured the people that the government would do everything to bring prices down.

Addressing a public meeting here he said less production of onions had created more problems but was confident that the situation would soon blown over.

Mr Vajpayee said the BJP was the only national party which could bring self-sufficiency in the country in all spheres of life. While the Congress and other were spreading "motivated propaganda" against the BJP-led government.

Mr Vajpayee alleged that the Congress party was trying to comeback to power by creating "confusion" and the opposition parties were "seeing the art of communality" in whatever step the BJP government had taken so far.

Referring to the Saraswati Vandana in the recently held Education Ministers conference the Prime Minister said the opposition parties were only trying to spread hatred by terming the traditional ways as "communal." Out of fear that the BJP’s popularity was growing steadily.

He reiterated that the Union Government was "stable and strong" and maintained that the Congress’ forts to create divisions among the constituents of the present government would not bear fruit.

Flaying the Congress for not supporting the women’s quota Bill in Lok Sabha, the Vajpayee asked women voters not to vote for the Congress in retaliation.

He said during the past six months, his coalition government cooperated with all state governments without any discrimination and helped them financially.

This never happened during the Congress rule, Mr Vajpayee said.

"We have solved the 30-year-old Cauvery dispute. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir has greatly improved though terrorism from across the border is still continuing. Things are improving in the north-east also." He appealed the people to vote for the BJP in the Assembly elections.

On rise in price of onions, Mr Vajpayee said the government was importing onions in large quantities to ease the situation and warned hoarders not to stock the vegetable.

He said the onion prices sky-rocketed as the crop perished due to bad weather over which the government had no control.

On economic sanctions imposed on the country in the aftermath of nuclear blasts, Mr Vajpayee said "we will not bow down under any pressure. We shall not accept any wrong thing. Why shall a 100-crore strong country fear anyone."

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said the state was free of communal tension during the BJP-rule.

Mr Vajpayee said the unfavourable weather also damaged crops of potato and pulses which led to their price rise, adding the government was making efforts to make available these commodities in the market in large numbers.

On the country’s economy, he said despite recession worldwide, in particular in Asia, it was stable and the rupee stood firm.

Mr Shekhawat said the Congress tally in the 200-member legislative Assembly would not exceed 74.

After the rally, the Prime Minister visited the Vidya Bhavan Rural Institute here.

Distrust brewing in PoK areas

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (PTI) — A sense of distrust is brewing in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) against 'misrule' by Islamabad which is occupying the area since 1948, media reports from Pakistan said.

Noted Pakistani scribe M. Saadat Khan, in his "Mirpur Dairy" in Pakistani daily "Frontier Post" writes that the residents of the area are facing discrimination at the hands of Pakistani officials.

The dilapidated condition of roads, bad water supply system and lack of health facilities and education have tarnished the image of Pakistan, he says.

The day is not far when people will revolt against the misrule of Pakistan as even after 50 years of so-called "independence", the residents feel cheated by Pakistan.

Another factor irking the residents of PoK is their so-called constitution under which the President, Prime Minister or an MLA has to take an oath which says "that I will remain loyal to the country and the cause of accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan."

This negates the third option. That of an independent Kashmir, says Khan.

The presence of Pakistani troops in PoK is increasing almost on a daily basis virtually converting the area into an army cantonment, some of the arrested militants have said during their interrogation by security officials.

Besides regular army, Pakistani Rangers, personnel of coast guards and the Mujahideen force are also helping in spreading militancy in Kashmir valley, officials quoting the arrested militants say.

"Pakistani army is adopting a very harsh attitude not only towards locals but any foreigner or for that matter Kashmiri youths, who are imparted weapon training here," an arrested militant, Haroon-al Yusuf (code-name), said.

Foreigners are never left alone and visiting journalists are not more than "A" class prisoners who have to dance to the tune of army generals, Yusuf claimed, adding in Jammu and Kashmir foreigners were treated as guests.

Facing the onslaught of army generals, the mercenaries who are trained to cross over to the valley want to go back to their own countries while Kashmiri youths want to reunite with their kith and kin, he said.

Women in the area also cannot move around freely without men escorting them, Yusuf said.

The administration is not interested in improving the condition of women with some denying the presence of any such problems, a few others choosing to ignore them and the rest unashamedly claiming that harassing women was their birth right.

The situation will become worse in the coming years as the motto of "Jehad" for men and "Purdah" (veil) for women, imported from neighbouring Afghanistan, is fast gaining momentum in PoK, specially among the young generation, he said.

Illiteracy is also a "big hurdle" in improving the situation as the masses are uneducated and continue with their age-old tradition of treating women as slaves, he said.

BSEB rejects CIL proposal

PATNA, Oct 25 (PTI) — The Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) today rejected Coal India Limited's, (CIL) "inadequate" proposal for clearing dues to the board, but offered to immediately restore power supply to colonies and offices of CIL subsidiaries if it adjusted the amount due with BSEB’s arrears with the NTPC.

"We don’t want to have any confrontation with Central government undertakings. We have discontinued power supply to colonies and offices of the CIL subsidiaries — CCL and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. (BCCL) — under compulsion," the State Energy Minister Shyam Rajak told PTI here.

"We have discontinued power supply as we are under tremendous pressure from the NTPC to clear its outstandings towards power supply to the BSEB," he said rejecting the CIL’s written payment schedule to clear Rs 167 crore arrears for restoration of power supply by the board.

However, the BSEB will not delay "even for a minute" restoration of supply to official and residential premises of the CCL and the BCCL if they adjust their dues towards supply of coal to the NTPC against the amount the BSEB owes to it (NTPC), he said.

The CIL should also try to persuade the NTPC to arrive at the adjustment to protect the interests of its subsidiaries and the board, he added.

The BSEB has discontinued power supply to offices and residential colonies of the CCL and the BCCL in Dhanbad, Ranchi and Daltonganj since yesterday following their failure to clear dues to the BSEB towards energy bills.

The BCCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Mr A.K. Sahay, today criticised the BSEB for discontinuing power supply to the BCCL's administrative buildings and residential colonies despite payment of Rs 4.30 crore.

A BSEB spokesman here, however justified yesterday's decision to discontinue power supply to the BCCL saying that the payment made by it was negligible compared to the Rs 167 crore dues.

Mr Sahay told PTI that the BSEB decision has badly affected over 20,000 coalmine workers, who are residing at various residential colonies of the BCCL, especially on the eve of the Chhath festival.

He regretted that the BSEB has also discontinued power supply to BCCL's hospital at Bhuli Nagar.

Mr Sahay today held an emergency meeting with senior officials in the wake of the BSEB decision.

Mr Sahay had claimed that the BSEB had entered into a written agreement that it would not indulge in any coercive method and termed the power cut as "highly illegal". He said that the BCCL had promised further payments to the BSEB.

He said yesterday that the BCCL would take legal action against the BSEB.

Work at the coalmines, however, were not affected, he said.

Warning to UP Govt on Parekh report

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has warned the Uttar Pradesh Government that if it failed to file within two months the summary of the Parekh Commission report, which went into various aspects of 1982 Meerut riots, and the action taken report, it would summon the state Home Secretary.

“The report of the Parekh Commission appears to have gathered dust for almost ten years. We are at loss to understand why the state has been taking this matter so casually and why we were not informed over all these years the correct position,” a three-Judge Bench headed by Chief Justice AS Anand commented while hearing a petition on the Meerut riots.

The state government had time and again failed to comply with the direction of the apex court, the first of which was made in 1996 while hearing a petition drawing the court’s attention to the riots and other aspects, to file the report submitted by Justice CD Parekh, the Bench observed.

“We wish to emphasise that any further lapse or failure to do the needful on the part of the state would invite not only adverse comments from this court but may require the personal presence of the Home Secretary in this court to explain the lapses with a view also to consider the question of starting proceedings for contempt of court by the delinquents” the Bench said.

The petition filed in 1984 by Fazalur Rehman and others had drawn the court’s attention to various aspects of the 1982 communal riots which took place between September 6 and October 20.

The state government had appointed an inquiry commission headed by Justice CD Parekh of Allahabad High Court in January 1983 and the commission had submitted its report in November 1988.

The court lamented that due to the non-cooperation of the government in the matter, “the case still remained in the preliminary stages” though 14 years have passed since the filing of the petition.

Bihar minister quits, recants

PATNA, Oct 25 (PTI) — In a dramatic move, the Bihar Minister for Law, Mr Deonath Prasad, tonight withdrew his resignation from the Cabinet within 24 hours of submitting it.

Mr Prasad who held an hour-long meeting with the Chief Minister, Mrs Rabri Devi, and the RJD President, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, told PTI that he decided to withdraw his resignation letter "in the larger interest of the party".

The minister said Mrs Rabri Devi had assured him of taking appropriate action against the state Science and Technology Department Director Mr B. Bhushan. He had recommended action against Mr Bhushan when he held the portfolio of the department before being shifted to the Law Ministry.

Mr Prasad said he had now no grudge or grievance against the Chief Minister and the RJD President and asserted he would continue to serve the party as "a soldier".

The RJD chief said the Law Minister had a meeting with him and "ventilated his grievances on" being shifted to another ministry.

"We told him that we will take care of all his problems", he added.

However, according to UNI Mr Deonath Prasad today ruled out withdrawing his resignation unless he was given back the science and technology portfolio and a CBI probe ordered into the department Director's alleged acts of omission and commission. He contradicted the contention of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav that he (the minister) had withdrawn the resignation letter this evening after the meeting.

PM’s package gimmick: Cong
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — The Congress today criticised the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s economic package announced yesterday at the FICC annual meeting saying that it was a political gimmick which would not "kickstart the economy".

Addressing reporters at a specially convened press conference, the Congress spokesperson, Ms Girija Vyas and the AICC Secretary, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said the economic package was a mere announcement as it did not have even the Cabinet approval.

"It is a most bizarre phenomenon that the Prime Minister announces a package even before the Cabinet has met and decided. The Cabinet is meeting on October 26, but an impatient Prime Minister has eroded whatever credibility the Cabinet system has under his regime. It has not met for 30 days. No wonder onion prices have shot up by 600 per cent", Mr Ramesh said.

The Vajpayee Government would have to resort to ordinances for the implementation of these economic measures, Mr Ramesh said adding that many of the measures announced by the Prime Minister "require Bills to be introduced in Parliament and discussions thereafter".

Education conference: Cong welcomes decisions
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 — The Congress today welcomed the decisions taken at the recently concluded conference of the state Ministers of Education saying that it has “restored the national consensus on education”.

In a statement, the former Human Resource Development Minister and the Congress Working Committee member, Mr Arjun Singh, and the Chairman of the AICC media cell, Mr Shivraj Patil, expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the state Education Ministers Conference saying that it has “restored the national consensus on education, which was in jeopardy at the start of the conference”.

“The Congress welcomes the rejection of the divisive proposals in the agenda papers. These proposals sought to subvert our secularism, rob the minorities of their rights, undermine the constitutional responsibilities of the panchayats and nagarpalikas, and deny plurality of our heritage”, Mr Singh and Mr Patil said in a joint statement.

“The Congress is particularly pleased at the decision to take up the goal of universal elementary education in the mission mode. The mission mode was Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s innovative contribution to approaching priority problems of national import. It has delivered spectacular results in such sectors as rural telecommunications and oil seeds cultivation in arid areas”.

The statement called upon the National Committee established by the conference “to work towards a time-bound framework for the achievement of this national goal”.

Mr Singh and Mr Patil urged the National Committee to bear in mind the commitment of earmarking six per cent of the GDP for education as announced by the Congress government in 1993.

“It is concerted attention to such issues that is the need of the hour. The nation cannot afford to be distracted by the partisan agendas of ideologies inimical to the ethos of our freedom movement and incompatible with the modern nationhood of our ancient and many splendoured civilisation”, the statement said.

CPI leader flays anti-women stance

CALCUTTA, Oct 25 (PTI) — Close on the heels of CPM leader Brinda Karat’s refusal to accept nomination to the central committee citing gender discrimination in the party, veteran CPI leader Geeta Mukherjee has said that their male comrades are reluctant to share power with women.

In an interview to PTI, Ms Mukherjee, who has been leading the movement to ensure one third representation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, attributed their meagre presence at the top to the patriarchal set up of the left parties and the “reluctance” of her male comrades to admit them in the decision making bodies within the CPI at the all-India level.

Although projected as progressive parties, their women legislators account for about 9 per cent in left-ruled Kerala and nearly 7 per cent in West Bengal, where it has been in power for the past 20 years.

When asked about dramatic moves like resignations to make a point, Ms Mukherjee said, “I do not believe in resorting to resignation. Had it been a difference in policy, I could have thought of it. One has to fight within the party.”

“One has to sensitise one’s male comrades that without the active participation of women, who constitute 50 per cent of the population, no movement anywhere in the world can be successful,” Ms Mukherjee said.

She disagreed with CPM General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet on the point that there is a dearth of capable women to shoulder responsibility. “I don’t agree”.

The proposed one-third representation in Parliament and state assemblies would see 1,100 women in Parliament and the assemblies, she said asking “Can’t we find 1,100 women in the country?”

“Women have been doing excellent work in the panchayats. So why should they not be able to perform with equal aplomb at the assembly and Parliament levels”.

Ms Mukherjee said she advocated reservation because “if there was no reservation, the parties would nominate women only to losing seats. This problem exists in the CPI too.”

‘Romesh Sharma had links with Dawood’

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (PTI) — Self-styled politician Romesh Sharma, now in custody in connection with several criminal cases including those of kidnapping and cheating, had links with Dubai-based underworld Dawood Ibrahim, the police said here today.

The police claimed that after Mumbai bomb-blast, Dawood Ibrahim’s mother had come to the capital and left for Dubai on July 20, 1993 after Sharma managed to make her passport within a day.

Besides Sharma, the police has also arrested two of his associates Billu and Arvind Bali for allegedly giving wrong information and cheating, the police said in a release.

Sharma, a property dealer-turned politician, was arrested last week after a joint raid by the Delhi Police, the CBI and the Income Tax authorities at his Mayfair Colony residence in South Delhi.

Sharma, who floated the Bharatiya Congress Party and fought Lok Sabha elections from Phulpur in 1996, was arrested on charges of violating the Arms Act, the Wildlife Act, the Excise Act, abduction of a businessman and forcefully obtaining ownership of his helicopter.

The police recovered properties worth over Rs 500 crore including 15 foreign cars, documents pertaining to over 12 houses in Delhi, Mumbai and Jalandhar, jewellery, gold, crockery and a large quantity of foreign made liquor, one tiger skin, one leopard skin, a deer skin and 14 rounds of .32 bore revolvers.

Defamation case: Kesri seeks stay

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 (UNI) — Former Congress President Sitaram Kesri has filed a petition with the Delhi District Judge (DJ) M.A. Khan requesting him to stay proceedings in a defamation case, filed by the RSS against Mr Kesri in the court of Delhi’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Prem Kumar, till two other outstation cases of similar nature come up for hearing before the DJ.

“In the petition, which will come up for hearing before the DJ on October 26, Mr Kesri’s, counsel Kailash Gambhir has requested that proceedings in the defamation case, listed for October 30 in the CMM’s court be stayed till the two outstation cases of “similar nature” arrived here.

“Earlier on the Supreme Court’s order, the two outstation defamation cases, which had been listed for hearing in Purulia (West Bengal) and Pratapgarh (Rajasthan), were transferred to the DJ in Delhi for disposal.

In his petition, Mr Gambhir requested the DJ to transfer all three cases to a single court which, he said is competent to handle civil as well, as criminal cases.

In the case filed against Mr Kesri, the RSS had alleged that Mr Kesri had in a press conference at Delhi, held the RSS responsible for the February 14 Coimbatore blasts in which more than 60 persons were killed.

While the case filed in Purulia is of a civil nature where a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh have been demanded as compensation, the other two cases are of a criminal nature.

Zee TV murder case suspect surrenders

HYDERABAD, Oct 25 (PTI) — The prime suspect in the sensational murder case of Zee TV Resident Director P. Ramakrishna today surrendered before police at Guntur, according to information reaching here.

The accused, Seshagiri Rao, surrendered before the CID investigating officer, police sources said.

The surrender comes close on the heels of the state government enhancing the reward from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of the fugitive in the case.

Earlier, an anticipatory bail petition of Rao was turned down by a court directing him to surrender before the investigating authority.

Veteran scribe dead
NEW DELHI: Veteran journalist P N Kaul Vakil died here on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 70. He worked with the Delhi Samachar Post and its sister publications. Vakil, also headed numerous social and religious organisations. — PTI

NLFT frees 2 traders
AGARTALA: Two non-tribal traders have been released by militants of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) while there is no trace on MP’s son and a government doctor. The police said the traders kidnapped from Amarpur subdivision on south district on September 15, returned home safely on Saturday. Ranjit Reang, son of CPM MP Bajuban Reang and government doctor Pradip Reang, have been in captivity since June 24 and July 17, respectively. — PTI

TV channel for male audience
MUMBAI: Sony’s AXN Action TV, targeted at male audience with its action-packed as well as hottest movies and programmes, has launched its India service. The first pay channel from Sony, AXN’s 24-hour service will feature top Hollywood, international and Asian action, including movies, television series, action animation and extreme sports, according to its entertainment chief executive officer Kunal Dasgupta on Friday. — PTI

MP tourism on Internet
NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh tourism has launched its own website on the Internet, ahead of the Khajuraho millennium celebrations commencing in March. The website lists comprehensive information on all major destinations in the state, special tours for overseas and domestic visitors, fairs and festivals and art and crafts of the state. It also offers bookings through E-mail. — PTI

65-year-old woman murdered
MUMBAI: A 65-year-old housewife was murdered by three unidentified persons at her residence in Ghatkopar in north-east Mumbai here on Saturday. According to the police, three youths entered the house of Jaswanti Dilsukh Kothari, on the pretext of delivering sweetmeat boxes. The youths, who pretended to be her son’s friends, gagged the woman and slit her throat before decamping with gold ornaments. — PTI

Panel on intellectual rights
NEW DELHI: The national working group on patent laws has constituted a people’s commission headed by a former Supreme Court Judge to look into the issues of intellectual property rights (IPR). The commission, headed by Justice V R Krishna Iyer, will examine implications of trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) agreement in the country’s interest, emerging trends in IPR legislation for protection of plant varieties, micro-organisms, technology and database and harmonise developing countries to amend the TRIPS agreement for defending their interests, a release by the working group said. — PTI

North-East fellowship
NEW DELHI: The National Foundation for India (NFI) has announced its third round of North-East fellowship for 1998-99 under the media exchange programme (MEP). The NFI seeks applications from journalists for its inward fellowship to the North-East (NE) and from the NE region for its outward fellowships, in its sustained bid to improve communications, networking and understanding between the NE and the rest of the country, particularly in the field of media. — PTI

Exclusive train for women
CHENNAI: It’s a move that has moved thousands of women in Chennai making them an envy of those in other metros. Coming as a widespread relief to them, the southern railway on October 12 introduced the country’s first “all-woman” electric train service between Chennai Beach and suburban Tambaram sector during peak hours. — PTI