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| Tuesday, January 11, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Ambika, Kidwai set to enter RS Noisy scenes in Bihar House
Self-immolation by youth |
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Make report on Kargil
conflict public: CPI Hijack exposed India as
‘soft’ state Arrest warrant against judge
extended Held for cooking up abduction
story MPs seek central aid for Rajasthan Deadline to states on uniform ST
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Vajpayee is ‘CSR Man of
2000’ NEW DELHI, Jan 10 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has been declared the "Competition Success Review (CSR) Man of the Year 2000" on the basis of a survey carried out by the magazine. The Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice P.B. Sawant, presented the CSR Gold Awards 2000 at a function held here yesterday. The CSR super brain of
India awards were presented to Dr Prathap C. Reddy,
Chairman of Apollo Hospitals; Prof Abdul W. Khan;
Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU; Lt Gen Surinder Nath (retd),
Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission; Mr Vijay
Jindal, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Zee
Telefilms Limited and Mr K.N. Pathak, Director (public
relations) Indian Airlines, a Press note said. |
Ambika, Kidwai set to enter RS NEW DELHI, Jan 10 — Former Punjab PCC chief Ambika Soni, former Sadr-e-Riyasat of Jammu and Kashmir Karan Singh and former Bihar Governor A.R. Kidwai are likely to be elected to the Rajya Sabha from the Delhi Assembly, as Congress nominees. They filed their nomination papers today. They will replace BJP’s Mr V.K. Malhotra, Mr K.R. Malkani and Mr O.P.Kohli, who retired after completing their six-year terms. Mrs Soni is an AICC General Secretary. Dr Karan Singh had resigned from the Rajya Sabha to contest against Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee from the Lucknow parliamentary seat. The Congress nominations for the Rajya Sabha seats have raised a lot of dust, with party MLAs questioning the rationale behind nominating "outsiders", thereby meaning non-Delhi politicians. Among those whose feathers have been ruffled by their non-inclusion are Mr Sajjan Kumar and veteran Nehru family loyalist M.L. Fotedar. As all three seats are
likely to be won by the Congress, the dissatisfaction in
the party’s legislative wing in the Capital will not
be reflected in the results, which will be declared after
scrutiny of the nomination papers on January 13. |
Noisy scenes in Bihar House PATNA, Jan 10 (PTI) — The last session of the 11th Bihar Assembly today got off to a noisy start with vociferous Opposition members of the BJP and the Congress launching a scathing attack on the RJD Ministry for allegedly unleashing a reign of terror and corruption during its nearly a decade-long tenure. "Jungle raj mitana hai, RJD ki sarkar hatana hai (We have to end the jungle raj and doslodge the RJD regime)", shouted agitated BJP members as Governor V.S. Pandey entered the House to address the joint session of the state legislature. The BJP, Congress and Samata MLAs continued to shout the anti-government slogans all through the Governor’s speech. The lone Champaran Vikas Party MLA, Mr Dilip Verma, rushed to the well of the House criticising the state government for its alleged "anti-poor" policy and irregularities in the distribution of red cards to people below the poverty line to draw ration on subsidised rates. The Governor said in his
speech that people of Bihar were anxious over the move to
divide the state into two and declared the "unity
and integrity" of the state would be maintained
"at all costs." |
Make report on Kargil conflict public: CPI NEW DELHI, Jan 10 (PTI) — The CPI today demanded making of the Subramanyam Committee’s report on Kargil conflict public saying there was a need to ensure a proper debate on the issues concerned as the committee had itself suggested. "It is unfortunate that the day the committee submitted its report to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the government attempted to give an impression that the committee had prohibited its publication in the interest of national security, whereas the committee’s press statement made it clear it was in favour of the release of the report for debate in the country," CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said here. He said the committee had highlighted the fact that it had itself excised some sensitive information that was not in public interest to disclose, and had submitted a report that the government could straightaway release. On the Sri Krishna Commission report on Mumbai riots, Mr Bardhan said the state government should forthwith launch necessary legal proceedings on the basis of its recommendations. Sending the
recommendations back to the police for further probe was
"delaying tactics" as the panel had identified
the culprits and made clear-cut recommendations for their
prosecution, he added. |
Self-immolation by youth LUCKNOW, Jan 10 (UNI) — A 35-year-old man immolated himself in front of the Council House building here this afternoon. A police spokesman said the deceased identified as Manjit Singh Sodhi, a resident of Alambagh in the state capital, doused himself with kerosene and set himself alight. He succumbed to burn injuries on the way to hospital. The police has termed
the incident as a case of suicide. A police spokesman
said the victim, a small time chemist, was suffering from
acute depression as he was going through a bad financial
patch. |
Hijack exposed India as
‘soft’ state NEW DELHI, Jan 10 —The Samajwadi Party General Secretary, Mr Amar Singh, today gave indications of the party keeping its doors open for an understanding with Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Mr Amar Singh, however, reasserted the party stand of having no truck of any kind either with the Congress or with the parties aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He also said that there was no question of poll alliances with the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (U). "Our party will not have any truck with the parties helping the communal forces," he remarked. To a question he said the Samajwadi Party would be contesting assembly elections in Haryana but no talks had been held with any party so far. He ruled out any truck with the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) in the state. Meanwhile, the party candidate for the byelection to the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, which was vacated by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav would also be decided by the parliamentary board during its meeting on January 14. Claiming that the hijacking exposed India as a ‘soft’ state, he said the government, which came to know about the hijacking after 40 minutes through the Internet, failed to take concrete steps to deal with it both in Amritsar and the UAE. Referring to the release of three terrorists for safe return of hostages, he said the Samajwadi Party had cautioned the government against any step that might lower the dignity and prestige of the country. It wanted the national interest intact, besides safety and security of the hostages, he said. Making a scathing attack against the RSS, he said RSS chief Rajendra Singh’s remark that the hijacking exposed ‘‘cowardice’’ among Hindu society was not only irresponsible but also highly provocative, capable of spreading hatred in society and dividing it on communal lines. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh today said the policy of surrender before hijackers and their foreign patrons has given a boost to Islamic terrorism all over the world and particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, reports UNI. In a statement, Sangh president Balraj Madhok said here that the developing situation might lead to hotting up of the long drawn proxy war culminating in a decisive war with Pakistan. Growing activities of the ISI within India and expanding networks of madarasas point to a plan for civil war within the country to synchronise with the war with Pakistan. The resultant situation would pose the most difficult challenge to free India. Its effective handling needed clear thinking and courage to call spade a spade. He said the impression that India was a soft state would have to be removed. He said it demanded a
change of leadership at the Centre as the Nehruite
mindset of Mr Vajpayee stood in the way of rising to the
occasion. |
Arrest warrant against judge extended MUMBAI, Jan 10 (PTI) — A special court today extended until January 28 the non-bailable warrant issued against suspended judge J.W. Singh and two others in a case of alleged extortion even as efforts by the police to track them down remained futile. Mr A.P. Bhangale, presiding over the special court set up under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), had issued non-bailable warrant against Singh, underworld don Chhota Shakeel and his accomplice, "Pydhonie" on December 22 asking the police to produce the trio on or before January 10. The warrant period was extended today as the police filed an affidavit affirming that wireless messages had been sent to all districts but the accused could not be traced. A team had been deputed to Nanded following a letter written by Singh to the Principal Sessions Judge A.S. Aguiar that he was going there to offer prayers, the court was told. The court also turned
down an application moved by Singh in absentia through
lawyer Peter Lobo today urging for the grant of two
weeks’ time as he desired to move the Supreme Court
for challenging the issuance of the non-bailable warrant
against him as well as the Mumbai High Court’s order
dismissing his petition which questioned the police
decision to book him under MCOCA. |
Held for cooking up abduction
story NEW DELHI, Jan 10 — A 27-year-old businessman, Jitender Ahuja, who informed his relatives and friends through his mobile phone on January 5 that he was being stabbed and abducted by some unknown persons in the Ghazipur area of east Delhi, had allegedly concocted the abduction drama. Ahuja was arrested yesterday by the Delhi Police from Udaipur in Rajasthan and was booked on charges of misleading the police and diverting the investigation, the police said. According to the police Jaitender, a cement dealer in Vishwas Nagar in east Delhi, had cooked up the story for fear that his cheque amounting to Rs 3.12 lakh drawn on in favour of M/S Shree Cement Company would bounce due to unsufficient funds in his account. When he telephoned his
relatives and friends about the abduction he was coming
from Noida in his car carrying Rs 3.5 lakh. As he reached
the Ghazipur area he first dialled his friend Rajiv
Luthra and told him that he was being stabbed and
abducted by some persons who were in a Gypsy. |
Law to regulate tobacco
mooted NEW DELHI, Jan 10 — The Law Commission plans to recommend a law to regulate the cultivation, production and distribution of tobacco products. This was announced by the Chairman of the Law Commission, Justice B P Jeevan Reddy, at a function held here to mark the end of an international conference on global tobacco control law. The three-day conference
which concluded here on Sunday adopted the Delhi
declaration calling upon the countries to adopt the
framework convention by 2003 or even earlier. |
MPs seek central aid for Rajasthan JAIPUR, Jan 10 (PTI) — Cutting across party lines, MPs from Rajasthan have demanded that the Centre provide an immediate financial assistance of Rs 1310 crore so that relief work could be started in 26 out of 32 districts reeling under acute drought conditions. Nine of the 25 MPs in the state met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot yesterday and expressed concern over the delay in initiating famine relief due to non-availability of national calamity relief fund, an official release said here today. Mr Gehlot told the MPs
that 2.62 crore people and three crore livestock were in
the grip of ‘‘severe famine
conditions’’ in 26 districts of the state. |
Deadline to states on uniform ST NEW DELHI, Jan 10 (PTI) — Penal action is being contemplated against states not implementing the decision to adhere to uniform sales tax floor rates and phasing out sales tax-related incentive schemes by January 15. This was decided at a meeting of the standing committee of state Finance Ministers, which asked the 13 states which had not implemented the decision to do so by the stipulated date. During their meeting in
November, states and union territories after their
meeting with Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha had agreed
to implement uniform sales tax floor rates and to do away
with the tax incentives war from January one. |
Film fest opens NEW DELHI, Jan 10 — India’s first mega cine show of the millennium, IFFI 2000, got off to a formal start this evening with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Shoumitra Chatterji, the renowned Bengali actor, assisted by Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor. Compared with the inaugural functions of film festivals held at venues outside the capital, this culturally low-key occasion was marked by inevitable officiousness. In his inaugural address
Chatterji, who worked in 14 of Satyajit Ray’s films,
said that film festivals provided an opportunity to
expand the horizons of our experience and enabled us to
know the social systems and cultural fabrics of other
people. |
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